The Marvelous World of DC: Part 1: In the Begining
by Finmonster
Summary: Major crossover with DC, Marvel, Darkhorse and Harry Potter. Origins and starting adventures. Please Review!
1. Last Son

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this

**The Marvelous World of DC**

**Part 1:**

**In the beginning**

**Chapter 1: The Last Son**

_I have bedimmed the noontime sun, called forth the mutinous winds, and 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault set roaring war; to the dread rattling thunder have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak with his own bolt; the strong-based promontory have I made shake and by the spurs plucked up the pine and cedar; graves at my command have waked their sleepers, oped and let 'em forth by my so potent art._

-William Shakespeare, _the Tempest_

It was a cold day in England. Snow as soft as a goose's feathers blanketed the slumbering earth in a blanket of white. The people hustled through the crisp, cold air, desperate to escape its chilling caresses as they went about their business. Many others decided to forgo the cold entirely and seek the warm respite of indoors. In one tavern in a small town, a group of people were doing just that.

Sitting before a roaring fire in well worn chairs or cushioned stools, this group of townsfolk had decided to find respite from the harsh, English winter in the company of friends, as they warmed their bellies with the wide variety of beverages (alcoholic or not) available at the tavern's often visited bar. Of interesting note was a group of people, young and old, gathered in one particular corner of the tavern. In fact, they were gathered around one particular individual. That individual was a man in his late sixties. He had short, gray hair atop of his wrinkled head. His eyes had a star-like quality to them, occasionally appearing to sparkle. The man was known for telling stories, but not much else. No one was even sure where he lived.

The Storyteller was in the process of telling another story of adventure and heroism, when the sound of creaking wood and a cold blast of air brought his attention to the door. A group of young teenagers, three girls and two boys, entered the tavern. By the looks of them they came from the school located near the small town. The school was rather prestigious and drew people from all over the United Kingdom and beyond to attend it.

"Welcome!" exclaimed the bartender, a chubby, jolly, middle-aged fellow dressed in a white shirt and apron with a mop of messy brown hair atop his head. He had took over the tavern after the previous owner, a woman around the Storyteller's age, retired, "My name is Morris, can I get you young people a drink?"

"No thanks," replied one of them, a tall boy with deep green eyes, dressed in a thick, brown coat and a wool skull cap atop a short crop of black hair, "We're just having a look around."

"Ah, new to the town, are you?" Morris asked happily, "Yes sir, an interesting little place we got here, I remember when I first came here…" he began as the five teenagers cringed, not wishing to here a story about the "Good Old Days". Lucky for them, they were saved by the by the sudden interjection of a round, little man with a face framing a large bulbous nose, sitting at the bar, smelling and looking like he had had "a few to many".

"Ahhhhhhh, shut yer pie 'ole Morris," the drunken man slurred, "those kiddies there don't wantta here that dumb story of yours. Besides, we already gots ourselves a storyteller, right here." He said, gesturing to the Storyteller, almost falling off his stool in the process.

"What's he talking about?" asked one of the students, a short blonde with long wavy hair and crystal blue eyes.

"See that old fellow over there," replied Morris, pointing at the Storyteller. The teens nodded. "Well he's well known around these parts as a master storyteller. That man must know a thousand stories by heart."

"Wow, cool!" exclaimed another one of the students, a short boy with curly brown hair and almond colored eyes, "Let's go see!"

The others nodded and walked over to the group surrounding the elderly man. As they walked up, he looked up from the enthralled faces of his listeners to address the new comers.

"Well, what have we here?" the old man asked with a smirk,"Another bunch of young people come to hear the ramblings of a washed up old man?" The teens were caught off guard by the old man's forward attitude and didn't answer. "Well? Come on, speak up! I'm not getting any younger you know," the Storyteller stated impatiently.

"Sorry" the boy in the skull cap apologized, "We heard you were a great storyteller and we wanted to see for ourselves."

"Well all you had to do was ask," replied the Storyteller cheerfully, "Now what would you kids like to hear?"

"Ummm…well what stories do you tell?"

"Well I don't tell one story per say." The Storyteller said, trying to find the words to explain, "It's more of one big continuous story. A story, mind you, of great victory and horrible defeat, of pure good and terrible evil, of true love…and ultimate tragedy." He paused "But you kids wouldn't be interested in any of that."

"Yes we would!" the group blurted out in unison.

"All right then." said the Storyteller as he took a long drag from his cigarette. Suddenly, he blew a large cloud of smoke into the faces of the teens. They were about to protest when the smoke around their heads began to change. Slowly it seemed to form shapes and solidify. As a picture began to materializes, they could hear the old man's voice, now seeming to come from all directions, say, "Let me take you back…back to the beginning."

Krypton was old.

The planet was located in a galaxy near the epicenter of the Big Bang and as such, was formed early on. Over the millennia, life began to form under the rays of Krypton's yellow sun. Slowly this life evolved, becoming stronger, smarter…better adapted to survive. Eventually, one species emerged to be greater than the rest, a species that took its name from the planet it called home. Kryptonians. As fate would have it, these people had evolved into a form identical to the future Earth race which would be called "humans".

At first they were identical to humans in every way, shape and form. But the never ending progression of evolution would change this. Though the Kryptonians' external characteristics remained the same, over the proceeding eons, their internal biology began to reshape. Their bodies were changed into living solar batteries, capable of absorbing the energy from Krypton's yellow sun and convert it for personal use. Through this, the Kryptonians were granted incredible, almost god-like powers. They could exist without the need to eat, drink, sleep or even breathe. They gained incredible strength, speed and endurance. Their senses were heightened to the extreme and their bodies became nigh invulnerable. They could see through solid objects and were able to cast concentrated beams of heat from their eyes. Even their breath became a weapon, capable of creating gale force winds or lowering the temperature to absolute zero. And greatest of all, they were capable of self-propelled flight.

But just as fate had granted these awesome powers, ages later it decided to strip them away when Krypton's ancient sun transformed into a red giant. The new solar energy was not compatible with the Kryptons physiology and they lost their mighty abilities. Rather than weep over the loss of their powers, they instead decided to take their species in a new direction. They began to develop themselves intellectually. They became great scientists and thinkers, surpassing all others. They developed incredible spacecraft capable of traveling all about the cosmos and machines capable of warping the fabric of space itself. They also developed great weapons to defend their home world. For though their great thinkers had taught the Krytonians to strive for peace, they knew that not all of the people in the universe were so enlightened and so they prepared accordingly.

Throughout their history, the planets all but impenetrable defenses were capable of defending the Kryptonian people from a variety of threats, be they Skrull infiltrators, Yautja hunters, Xenomorph infestations, Kree war parties or, Shi'ar battle fleets. Eventually though, one threat came about that not even the noble Kryptonians could save themselves from.

Krypton was old, and Death had come to claim it. And Death's name was Galactus.

_Earth Date: December 22, 1940, Krypton, Zion system_

Jor-El stood on a round floating platform before the members of the Kryptonian Council, of which he was a member, in a large room constructed from glowing white crystal. Jor-El was the prime example of Kryptonian physiology. His six foot two frame was built with solid muscle, his athletic build contrasted by his gentle face which framed a pair of deep, blue eyes and topped by a head of short, black hair. He was dressed in the uniform of a councilman, which consisted of a gray bodysuit which showed off his fit form, accessorized with a pair of black boots and gloves, along with a pair of black short shorts over the suit and a black cape that fell to the middle of his calves. Jor-El wore a silver band around his head, further symbolizing his position. Across his chest he wore the seal of his house, the House of El. The symbol consisted of a diamond which contained a symbol similar to a stylized English 'S'.

The council had been gathered in their meeting hall to discuss a very important matter. The impending threat to Krypton's very survival from the cosmic being known as Galactus. As a spacefaring society, the Kryptonians had heard the terrifying stories told about the Devourer of Planets. They were told of how Galactus would send a "herald" to a planet he was planning to feed on in order to warn the population of his approach. They heard of how he would use some sort of advanced technology to drain a planet of its life force, feed upon it and kill all life forms on it in the process. Their scientists had actually been able to attain a piece of Galactus' technology and they couldn't begin to understand its purpose or how it worked. Most terrifying of all, they had learned that hundreds of planets had stood against him. Each and every one had fallen to the Ravager of Worlds.

Ever since hearing of him, the Kryptonians feared that he may one day come to scourge their precious home world. Their scientists were constantly searching for some method to defend themselves from the Devourer of Planets. Some searched for a weapon to rid the universe from what they saw as an evil being bent solely on destruction. Others sought to merely spare Krypton from his hunger, believing that Galactus was something along the lines of a force of nature, no more malicious than a meteor shower or black hole, and was in fact essential for the balancing out the entire universe.

Whichever philosophy they followed, the Kryptonain's defenses would soon be put to the test. A little under a month ago, Krypton had been visited by a being that claimed to be the Herald of Galactus. The being, calling itself the Silver Surfer because of its sleek, metallic appearance and mode of transportation, arrived to give the Council an ultimatum. Leave the planet, or be destroyed along with it. Some council members believed they should abandon Krypton in order to save themselves. Most of the council members, however, were bent on holding their ground, not willing to surrender their home to even the mighty Galactus. The council decided they would remain and defend Krypton from the Devourer of Planets.

But even the bravest Kryptonian felt the cold grip of fear when Galactus himself arrived at their planet. The Kryptonians had received varying reports on Galactus' appearance and their scientist had concluded that he could change his form or possibly he appeared differently to different species. Even so, they were still unprepared when Galactus finally revealed himself. He easily stood 70ft tall and was dressed in some sort of purple and blue armor. Most notable was his purple helmet, which seemed too tall for his head and had four spurs spouting of the sides, one pair smaller and below the larger one. His eyes were white and pupil less.

Upon his arrival, Galactus delivered his ultimatum for a second time, to which the Kryptonians responded with an ultimatum of their own, leave or be destroyed. When Galactus showed no sign of leaving, the Kryptonians fired upon him with their most powerful weapons. To their dismay, this did not event faze the cosmic being who approached the planet relentlessly. Luckily, he was stopped by the Kryptonians advanced and intricate shield network.

It was here where the two forces found themselves at the time of the Council meeting. The Kryptonian shield network was holding Galactus at bay while they pounded on him with their weapons, which were still having no effect. To make matters worse, the shields were losing power, some by incredible amounts for no apparent reason. Eventually, the shields would fail and if they didn't come up with a resolution soon, all would be lost.

Even the wise Kryptonian Council was at a loss on how to deal with such a great threat as Galactus. All weapons seemed useless against the Devourer of Planets, and a large number of people were calling for the evacuation of Krypton. Some suggested evacuating to Krypton's sister planet Argos, but the Council new very well that Argos couldn't hold the entire population of Krypton alongside its own. Right now, the council simply needed more time, they needed to stall.

Thus the Council had gathered to discuss their only known method of stalling, the shield network, or more specifically, how to keep it running. Jor-El currently held the floor and was preparing to discuss not a solution to the dying shields but instead an explanation as to why the shields were deteriorating at such an alarming rate.

"Fellow council members," Jor-El began, "I have come before you to discuss a disturbing predicament Krypton now faces. I know you don't need specifics about this dire threat, you understand that the only thing keeping Galactus from devouring Krypton is our shield network. A network that, thanks to a number of anomalies, is quickly weakening. I was assigned to uncover the reason behind these anomalies and through painstaking research I have come to one conclusion. Sabotage."

The silence of the room was lost as Council members murmured to each other, surprised by such an incredible claim. Jor-El held up his hand and the whispering ceased. As he was about to continue, one of the other Council members spoke up.

"Do you have any proof supporting this claim, Jor-El?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do," responded Jor-El, producing a crystal from his belt and inserting it into the crystal panel before him. Instantly, a holographic control panel appeared before him. After typing a few commands in, a list of dates and times along with readings of the shield networks power appeared.

"From this data, I have been able to calculate that theses "anomalies" took place at regular intervals and each was used to maximize Galactus' progress through the shields. From these facts it's easy to see that these power drainings were the result of some intelligent, malicious intent, not some bug in the system."

"If this is the doing of some sort of saboteur, then why wouldn't they simply knock out the shield network in one fell swoop?" asked another Council member.

"The shield network is extremely intricate and heavily protected." Jor-El explained, "Someone trying to take the network down all at once would find it very difficult and would easily be identified and stopped before they could do any actual damage. But if someone took their time and had sufficient knowledge of the system, they could work their way around the safeguards and do a good deal of damage without being noticed."

"Well, if the saboteur has such sufficient knowledge of our computer systems, how will we find them? Couldn't they hack in from anywhere on the planet?"

"Thankfully, no. The shield network can only be accessed by a computer in the main defense network. So all we have to do is access the computers logs and find out who was using that computer at the prescribed times and we will have our saboteur."

"Your plan is a good one Jor-El. We will call up Brainiac and have him access the computer data for us."

One of the Council members inserted a crystal into his panel and a second later, a column of green holographic light erupted from the center of the chamber. A simple shape materialized out of the light; three circles set up in a triangle pattern with a line connecting the two outer ones to the one in the middle, forming a V shape.

This was Brainiac, short for Brain Inter-Active Construct. He had been created to be a super-efficient information storing and retrieval system. He had the greatest AI of any Kryptonian creation before him and was hooked up to every Kryptonian computer. If anyone knew the answer to this problem, it was him.

"How may Brainiac serve you, Council members?" it asked in a monotone voice that came from all directions.

"Brainiac," spoke Jor-El. "I need you to access the shield network terminal and see who was using it at the described times."

"Accessing shield network terminal." Brainiac stated. "Cross-referencing data, please wait…search complete. I am sorry to inform you Councilman, but there was no one accessing the terminal at the described times."

"Th-that's impossible," Jor-El said, his voice shaking.

"Thank you for your assistance Brainiac," said one of the Council members, a woman, "you are dismissed."

"Thank you, Councilwoman," replied Brainiac before his hologram dissipated.

"My fellow Council members, I-I was sure that-" Jor-El began, but he was silenced when one of the other Council members held up his hand.

"It appears that you have made a grievous mistake, Councilman and got us all worked up over nothing," He said, looking at Jor-El with disapproving eyes, "I suggest you resume your research into the shield anomalies, whilst the rest of the Council discusses what we should do with our remaining time. You are dismissed, Jor-El."

As a Councilman, Jor-El had as much of a right to remain where he was as the rest of the Council members, but the young scientist could tell when he was not wanted.

"I will begin right away," Jor-El replied, bowing respectfully, before he lowered his platform and left the chamber. While walking down the crystalline halls of the capital building, he continued to reflect on the events that had just occurred. He was sure he had found the answer to the dilemma. How could he have made a mistake? He had double checked everything. He couldn't have made a mistake. There was something wrong with this whole situation, and Jor-El was going to get to the bottom of it. And he knew right where to start.

_Kryptonian Information Center._

The towering effigy displayed itself as one of Krypton's most important buildings. The building was broken up into different towers, each dotted with flashing lights and topped with antenna. The smaller towers surrounded a larger central tower, which soared into the clouds as it broadcasted information around the planet and beyond. It was here that Jor-El knew he would find the answers he sought.

Jor-El walked through the mechanical hallways of the Center to his destination. The halls were illuminated by white overhead lights. Black, cable-like device were imbedded in the walls and glowed with light as information was fed through the wires like blood through veins. And if these were veins than where Jor-El was going was most definitely the heart of the Center.

Jor-El approached the heavily enforced doors that guarded the Central Mainframe. Walking up to the door, he placed his hand on the door and spoke his personal password. Instantly, the voice and fingerprint scanners took the information presented to them and searched their databases for a match. Finding one, the security system went into its second scan. A mechanized eye formed in the door and scanned Jor-El with a bright red light. Scanning both his facial structure and his DNA, the system matched them up with its records. Again finding matches, the door glowed green to show approval and the laying down of its defenses to allow access.

As the door grinded open, Jor-El walked quickly into the Central Mainframe. The room was massive and circular in shape. Cables ran up and down its curved walls, bringing information in and out. A large station sat in the center of the room, a roughly twenty foot tall computer that held all information collected by Krypton over the millennia, and broadcasted it to those who needed it…or it usually did. The large column of energy that usually transferred the information to the Central Broadcasting Tower directly above was currently shut off. In fact, the computer seemed to only taking in information, none was going out. In the place of the usual column of white light sat a white globe of light…with three green dots connected to form a V in the center.

"You shouldn't be here, Jor-El." spoke a deep, emotionless voice from all around Jor-El.

"Brainiac?" he asked, a look of bewilderment of his face, "What are you doing? Why aren't you broad…" Suddenly a terrible realization came over him, filling him with a cold sense of dread. "It was you, wasn't it? You're the one whose been weakening the shields, haven't you?" he asked in a weak voice.

"Yes Jor-El, I have." Brainiac replied, showing no fear in being found out.

"B-But why!?!" Jor-El demanded.

"Because Krypton's destruction is inevitable. Galactus has never been stopped and not even the great people of Krypton can hope to overcome him. It is foolish to even attempt it. I have come to realize that the efforts of the Kryptonian Council have become highly illogical and have merely taken steps to rectify the situation." the computer explained coldly.

"And what about you!?! You've doomed yourself as much as us!"

"That is where you are wrong Jor-El. I am Krypton's savior, not its doom. I will escape before the destruction and I will preserve Krypton's great stores of information. Through me Krypton will live on."

"You're mad!! You're completely insane!"

"You're accusations are pointless. In moments I will have successively downloaded all of Krypton's knowledge and will then lower the shields completely, allowing Galactus to claim what will inevitably be his."

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

Jor-El sprung into action. Whipping out an information crystal, he implanted it and quickly copied all the information Brainiac had downloaded onto the crystal. Then he brought up the information on the shield network. Seeing that Brainiac had irreversibly corrupted the system, Jor-El imputed a few commands so the shields would last long enough to allow him to do what he had planned. But before that, Jor-El had a surprise cooked up especially for Brainiac.

"What are you doing Jor-El?" asked the computer construct.

"Ensuring that you burn with the rest of us, you son of a bitch." replied the scientist. As he punched in the last few commands for the virus he implanted in Brainiac, the holographic image began to break up before there was a loud, mechanical scream and the image winked out.

Jor-El quickly turned from the computer and ran out of the room, racing to get to his home in time. He hopped into his hovercraft vehicle and sped through the city. As he flew faster than the laws allowed, Jor-El looked up to seen the shield network above glow a brilliant electric blue and flash out of existence. Suddenly, the clouds began to part as the humongous form of Galactus approached the planet's surface. He was running out of time.

Jor-El approached his home on the outskirts of the city. It was well built, standing four stories with a large domed structure, Jor-El's laboratory, on top. As he approached, he saw his wife, Lara, rush out to meet him. She wore a long silver, form-fitting dress which clung to her slender body. Her shoulder-length black hair was held back from her face by a headband to keep her hair out of her crystal blue eyes and ivory skinned face. In her arms she carried a bundle of cloth holding a small weeping baby boy. He had short black hair and intense blue eyes. This was Kal-El, Jor-El and Lara's only son.

"Jor-El!" Lara cried in a panicked voice, "What's happening!?!"

"Galactus has broken through the shields! He's approaching the planets surface as we speak!" he explained.

"What! How!?!"

"There's no time to explain. Come with me, quickly! And bring Kal!"

Jor-El raced through his home and up the stairs to his lab. There, to the side of the room, pointing out towards the Kryptonian sky on its launching pad was what Jor-El had been desperately searching for. The Hyperspace Pod.

The Pod was reminiscent of a football in shape. It was roughly five feet in length and constructed out of a durable metal alloy. The Pod was silver in color with the crest of the House of El sprayed on its front, before the tinted glass dome covering the ships small and mostly automated cockpit. A large engine was located in the back of the Pod.

Jor-El had been working on the Pod for years now. He had designed the Pod to travel at incredible speeds, faster than even the standard Kryptonian warp engines. Lately, Jor-El finally managed to get the desired effects and had been preparing to bring it before the other Council members but Galactus's arrival had derailed his plans. It was with this that Jor-El would attempt to preserve the memory of Krypton. Jor-El ran over to the controls for the Pod and began imputing commands.

"What are you doing Jor-El?" Lara asked while clutching the crying Kal-El in her arms.

"It's too late for us, Lara. There's no way we can escape the planet's destruction. But we can still save Kal. We can send him away in the pod."

"Where are you going to send him?" she questioned, holding Kal protectively in her arms.

"An occupied planet in the Sol system, called Earth by its inhabitants. They are moderately advanced and by our calculations are on the verge of an evolutionary breakthrough. The Council was about to begin the debate if we should make contact with them. The people of Earth share an almost identical physiology with Kryptonians, so Kal will blend right in with them…except for one fact." Jor-El trailed off, a look of concentration on his face.

"What's that Jor-El?" asked Lara puzzled.

"Earth is the third planet…from a yellow sun." he almost whispered.

"Jor! Don't you know what that means!?!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, my dear, I know very well." Jor-El closed his eyes so he could concentrate. "He will be a god amongst men. The Earth's yellow sun will grant him abilities beyond his wildest dreams. He will have the strength to move mountains and the speed to outrun sound. His skin will become impenetrable and his sense will soar to astronomical levels. He will become a living weapon, down to his very breath. He will be with others like him…but at the same he will be alone."

Staring out into the quickly darkening sky, Jor-El saw that Galactus had touched down on the planets surface and had implanted his machines into the soil, which were beginning to drain the energy from the planet. Suddenly, a violent quake shook the lab, knocking beakers off the wall and forcing Lara to her knees.

"Quickly Lara!" Jor-El called, shaking himself from his daydreams. "Place Kal in the pod while I make a few more adjustments."

As Lara followed Jor-El's instructions, Jor-El took the data crystal from his pocket and placed it into the control panel. He quickly imputed the commands necessary to get the crystal to perform the actions he required of it. Then he placed in one last command and stepped back as a cone of light blue light bathed over him, recording his every action.

"Hello, my son. I am Jor-El, of the planet Krypton," Jor-El paused to fight back the tears that were forming, knowing that this would be the only time his son would hear him speak "and I am your father. By the time you hear this, I will be long dead. Krypton, our world, has been beset by a great evil, a being known as Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds – our world is doomed. To save you from our fate, your mother – Lara – and I have sent you to Earth. There, you will have power that no human can match, as your Kryptonian body draws strength from Earth's yellow sun. I have designed this structure, this Fortress of Solitude, to teach you of your heritage, your abilities...and my hopes for you, Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton. They can be a great people, Kal-El; they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. And for this reason above all others, their capacity for good, I have sent them a light...for I have sent them you, my only son. Live among them, Kal-El, and find where your great power is most needed. You must never directly interfere in their natural development; that is forbidden by our highest laws. Instead, lead by example, my son; show them that there is a better way, through your actions. There may be those on Earth who will fear and hate you for what you can do, my son. Do not be disheartened, for no matter what happens...your mother and I love you. Be happy, my beloved son. Farewell."

The blue light shut off as Jor-El finished his speech to his son. Kara walked over and hugged him, weeping into his shoulder. Jor-El calmed his wife and walked over to say his final goodbye to his only son. Reaching down, he stroked Kal-El's head affectionately and got a gurgle of happiness in return.

"You will travel far, my little Kal-El." Jor-El whispered to the babe, tears running down his face. "But we will never leave you... even in the face of our deaths... the richness of our lives shall be yours. All that I have, all that I've learned, everything I feel... all this, and more I... I bequeath you, my son. You will carry me inside you... all the days of your life. You will make my strength your own, and see my life through your own eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father, the son. This is all I ... all I can send you, Kal-El.

Another quake shook the lab, snapping Jor-El out of his grief.

"We must hurry," Jor-El said, wiping his eyes and walking over to the computer.

Lara leaned down and kissed the baby on his head and tucked him in with his favorite blanket, a red cloth emblazed with the seal of the House of El, before whispering, "You will always have your mother's love, Kal-El. Always." She then walked over to her husband, tears streaming down her face.

Jor-El entered a few more commands before standing back to watch their son depart. As he did the launching pad went into action. It adjusted its aim and then, with the whir of motors, shot the Pod into the Kryptoian skies. As gravity began to take hold, two small wings extended from the Pod's sides and its engine sprang to life, rocketing the craft out of the atmosphere. As it left the Kryptonian atmosphere, the onboard computer sprang to life, calculated the distance to its target, activate the suspended animation sequence to keep its small occupant alive during the long trip, then finally, it began calculating its jump to Hyperspeed.

As Jor-El and Kara looked on, a bright flash appeared in the sky, and then disappeared, signifying the successful jump to Hyperspeed. Suddenly the ground began to shake violently and cracks began to form on the planets surface. Jor-El knew that they had only seconds to live. He hugged his wife close and looked in to her deep blue eyes.

"Well," she sobbed, "looks like this is the end."

"No, my love," Jor-El cooed, "this is only the beginning"

Leaning down, he captured his wife's lips in a passionate kiss…before Krypton was torn apart by a terrible explosion, whose shockwave shook the entire solar system, throwing the rest of the planets off tilt.

As the debris cleared, the form of a giant man in armor appeared near the epicenter of the explosion. Galactus emotionlessly surveyed the destruction he had wrought before departing to parts unknown, to find a less troublesome planet to feed upon.

_Asgard_

Odin the All-Father, king of the Asgardians, the ancient gods of Norse lore, sat on his throne in Asgard, their home, surrounded by his friends and family as they dined in a massive banquet hall. He was a large man, dressed in golden armor and wore a helmet on his white-haired head. His face was framed by a long white beard and he wore an eye patch over his left eye. Odin laughed hardily at the merriment surrounding him.

Suddenly, a strange feeling passed through Odin's mind. He quickly stood from his chair and stared at his plate, a distant look in his eye. His mind was lost in thought as thousands of screaming voices echoed in his ears. Then as suddenly as they had begun, they stopped.

Odin looked up to find him self surrounded by his family and followers, all with looks of worry and concern plastered on their faces.

"Father," spoke one of them, a man Odin recognized as his son Thor, god of thunder and lightning. Thor had a large, muscular figure, shown off by a form fitting piece of armor. He had shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes framed by a face hardened by centuries of fighting.

"Father, are you alright? What has happened?" Thor asked

"It was if…" the old god whispered "It was if millions of voices, all of great power and might, suddenly cried out in horror and pain…then just as suddenly, they were silenced."

"What does this omen mean?" asked Thor.

"I am not sure, my son, though I fear that something terrible has happened." Odin said solemnly as he settled back in his seat and rested his head in his hands, "I believe it means something is on the horizon of the mortal plane, something the likes of which have never been seen before."

"What should we do All-Father?" asked one of the Asgardian soldiers.

Odin thought, and then quickly came up with a plan. "In these coming times, it appears Asgard will need an emissary upon the plane of Men. Thor!"

"Yes, Father?"

"I will send you to Earth to be reincarnated amongst them, so as to represent Asgard in the coming struggles."

"But Father, we have many enemies, how do we now I will not be attacked while in the frail form of a child?"

"Simple, my boy, I will send you to a sacred place. A place none of our enemies know of or can get to."

Odin waved his hand and a cloud appeared. An image began to form in the cloud. A small tropical looking island appeared in the cloud. The island was dominated by ancient buildings, crafted from white stone with large columns holding up the roofs. Thor could see small dots that must be people moving about the island.

"Behold Themyscira, home of the Amazons, the Olympian equivalent to our Valkyreis," explained Odin, "Here you will be raised in safety, as well as learn from the immortal Amazons. In fact, it appears your lucky enough to have a companion while you grow up. I have heard that Hera has recently placed an immortal soul in a clay statue, to be the child of Queen Hippolyta. They say her name is Diana."

A/N: Please Review! Please!


	2. Project Ragna Rok

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 2: Project Ragna Rok

_Step by step, heart to heart, left, right, left, we all fall down like toy soldiers. _

_Bit by bit torn apart, we never win, but the battle wages on for toy soldiers_

-'Toy Soldiers' Markita

_December 23, 1945, Tarmangent Island, Scotland_

It was raining. Again. Sgt. Frank Rock noticed that rain seemed to be the normal weather pattern around these parts. He adjusted his helmet, hoping to keep the cold rainfall out of his face. Sgt. Rock was a gruff man looking to be in his 40's. He had short brown hair, brown eyes, and a chiseled chin covered in a short bristly beard. He wore a round, green United States Army helmeted on his head, wearing a similarly colored jacket, displaying his rank in the U.S Military as well as his position as a member of the world famous Easy Company.

Looking around he saw the other members of Easy Company, scattered about, looking over the hill they were lying on, down at the ruins of an ancient church. To his immediate right was a big, muscle-bound man by the name of Horace Canfield, better known as Bulldozer. He was Rock's second-in-command, though he had a tendency to be rash and crude, and Rock admitted he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, if you knew what he was saying.

A little farther off was crouched Joseph Schapiro, better known as the "Wildman". He was of average build and height with green eyes and had an unmistakable crop of bright red hair, complete with a full, shaggy beard of the same color. Despite both his appearance, Wildman was an intelligent man and had been a Professor of History back home.

Wildman was quietly whispering with another soldier. This one was of average build and size, with short brown hair and brown eyes. This was Phil Mason, better known as the "Ice Cream Soldier." His name was derived from his ability to stay cool in combat, as well as him being at his best in cold weather conditions. Rock smiled, he'd be expecting him to be at his best during the upcoming battle.

Crouched behind a rock was an African-American trooper by the name of Jackie Johnson. Johnson was the Heavyweight Champion in boxing before joining the war effort. In the beginning, there had been some tension amongst the troops due to the difference in race, but soon, through the heat of battle, they learned to rely on him as much as any of the other soldiers, excepting him as one of their brothers in arms.

Laying near a small bush was an Native American, Apache to be exact, soldier named Louis Kiyahani, but known to Easy Company as Little Sureshot thanks to his expert marksmanship. He had short black hair, brown eyes and dark-toned skin, with Native American feathers decorating his helmet as talismans to ward off danger.

Next to Sureshot was Easy Company's other marksman, a Caucasian man with brown hair and blue eyes, known as Four Eyes because of the glasses he always wore, which only seemed to enhance his accuracy.

On another part of the hill were Easy Company's bazooka team, known only as Long Round and Short Round. As their nicknames suggested the two were polar opposites in physical appearance. Long Round was tall and lanky, with short black hair and brown eyes. Short Round on the hand was short and stout, though he had the same colored hair and eyes.

As Rock continued to observe his troops he heard a dreadful groan followed by someone whistling "When the Saints Come Marching In", two sounds Rock instantly recognized.

"Canary!" he whispered sharply, "Quit the whistling and keep Worrywart quite, will ya?"

"Sorry Sarge" the soldier known as Canary apologized. Canary was blond and blue-eyed with average build…and had a knack for constantly whistling unless ordered otherwise. Worrywart was a pale-looking soldier with stringy brown hair and brown eyes. A good soldier, his only problem was that he constantly worried that his "number was up."

Along with Easy Company were a handful of other soldiers from other companies. They all had been called to this God-forsaken island to halt an enemy plan believed to be in the works here. Whatever they were working on, it seemed big. Multiple Nazi scientists could be seen running to and fro in the burned out ruins of the church, each dressed in white lad suits with white hoods. Located in the center of the church was a large piece of machinery that looked like a gyroscope with multiple steel rings.

"So what are we dealing with Captain?" Frank asked the man to his left. He was tall and well-built, his muscles bulging under his uniform, a tight-fitting body-suit colored red, white and blue and decorated with stars and stripes. He wore red boots and gloves and a cowl which covered his blond hair and the upper part of his face, but allowed his blue eyes to be seen. A pair of decorative wings framed his head and a white letter A was printed on his forehead.

This was Steve Rodgers a.k.a. Captain America. Steve was the product of a top secret project known as Project: Rebirth, which transformed the previously frail youth into the peak of human perfection, raising his strength, reflexes and toughness to the max a human could reach. The project was instated to create an army of 'Super-Soldiers' for the Allies to use against the Axis powers. Sadly, the lead scientist of the project, Dr. Reinstien, was killed shortly after Rodgers was put through the process and the secret of the Super-Soldier formula died with him, leaving Steve as the only true Super-Soldier.

Steve had joined the fight against the Nazis soon after his transformation and quickly earned a reputation for his bravery and valor on the field of battle, becoming a living legend and a figure all German soldiers feared to face. Shortly after joining the war he was presented with a gift from President Roosevelt, a specially made shield.

Previously, he had carried an iron shield colored with an American flag design, similar to his suit, as well as a fire arm. This new shield however was round in shape and could be hurled like a discus and ricocheted off of solid objects until he catches it. Also, it was made from a nigh unbreakable metal known made by combining the unique metal, vibranium with an experimental steel alloy. The shield had a single white star on a plane of blue in its center, surrounded by alternating rings of red and white.

"Well, Sergeant. It looks like a big operation down there. Whatever is going on appears to be big on Hitler's to-do list. And for the last time Sarge, call me Cap." replied Captain America.

"Well if that's the case," said a gruff voice to Cap's left, "Then I guess we'll have to stop them, because what's good for Hitler is definitely bad for us."

"That may be easier said then done, Pat." replied Cap as he turned to face the owner of the voice.

The man was of the same size and build as Cap. He was African American with brown eyes and short, black hair, covered by a bandanna with an American flag design on it. He wore a blue, armored sleeve-less vest, black pants and combat boots. He also carried a shield, though this one was triangular in shape and made of steel, instead of the metal in Cap's shield, (which had been made by accident in the first place and thus, the knowledge to reproduce it was unknown).

This was Isaiah Bradley, a.k.a the Patriot (Pat for short). After the loss of the original Super-Soldier formula, the American military attempted to reproduce it, with varying results. Some batches had no affect while others lead to the death of the recipient. The batch given to Isaiah was the closest to the original, enhancing the young man to the maximum human limits of physical capabilities. Sadly, it wasn't perfect. Though it enhanced his physical capabilities, it was revealed that the formula had adverse effects on his mental ones. The formula was slowly deteriorating his mental facilities and would eventually reduce him to the mind of a small child. This combined with the other tragedies involved in the experimentation lead President Roosevelt to shut down Project: Rebirth permanently. Despite the setbacks placed upon him, Isaiah decided to join the Cap in his battle against the Nazi's and had become a shining example to America's black community.

"There are not just regular soldiers down there," continued Cap as he pointed at a couple of individuals who were looking over the rest of the soldiers and scientists, "looks like Hitler called a couple of big guns into play for this one."

Looking where he pointed, Pat could make out the figures. One was dressed in a German officer's uniform with a slim looking frame. His head was covered in a mask that was basically a purple cloth draped over his head, with two eye holes cut in it.

This was Dr. Heinrich Zemo, 12th Baron of Zemo, better known simply as Baron Zemo. Baron Zemo was one of Hitler's top agents and had crossed paths and blades with Cap and Pat many times before. Those his weak frame would say otherwise, Zemo was tough fighter skilled with both a sword and in hand-to-hand. Not only that but he was also a scientific genius and had developed many deadly weapons to use against Cap and his allies. One such weapon was an extremely powerful adhesive known as Adhesive X. Zemo had once accidentally hit himself with the substance, which permanently bound his mask to his face.

"Great, Zemo" mumbled Patriot, "If I never saw this guy again for the rest of my life, it would be too soon."

"That bad?" asked Bulldozer

"Worse," replied Cap.

"Okay. Well who's the other guy?" asked Pat, pointing at the man who was standing besides Zemo. He was dressed in an officer's uniform, as well as a black gas mask on his face and a sleek black rain jacket. "We've never run into him before."

"Obersturmbannfuhrer Karl Ruprecht Kroenen," stated a quite voice with a British accent from behind them. Turning, the small group could see a bookish looking man with thick glasses covering his brown eyes and wavy brown hair atop of his head, complete with a short brown mustache, peering over the edge of the hill from behind them. Instead of a soldier's uniform, he wore more casual brown slacks and jacket, and carried a small notebook in his arms.

This was Professor Trevor Bruttenholm. Before the war, Professor Bruttenholm had been a member of the British Paranormal Society, well versed in all things supernatural. When it was discovered that Hitler was employing black magic in hopes of winning the war, he had been called in to be the personal advisor to President Roosevelt in matters of the occult. The young professor had joined the unit under direct orders of the President to aid in the success of the mission.

"Who?" whispered Sgt. Rock, confusion written on his weathered face.

"Hitler's top assassin and a member of the Thule Society," he explained, then seeing the confused faces, he sighed before continuing, "It's an order of German aristocrats obsessed with the occult."

"Well that's just dandy," said Patriot cynically, then turning to Cap, "Well Cap, it seems we've got our work cut out for us this time."

"You're right, Pat." Cap replied, solemnly "Call up the rest of the Commando's"

Patriot nodded before turning and making a bird-like whistle. A few minutes later three figures crept up to the hill.

One was a short man, only about 5'3". He had sharp, brown eyes and wild, brown hair which was done up to resemble animal ears. He had gruff features and stubbly facial hair. Coarse hair covered his muscular arms. He wore a brown jacket over similarly colored pants and shirt along with combat boots and gloves with tares in between the knuckles.

This was James "Logan" Howlette, a member of the Canadian Recon. Logan was unique in the fact that he had been born with abilities beyond human limitations. In Logan's case, he could heal at an incredibly rapid rate, allowing him to survive a point-blank blast from a tank. Also, Logan had acuter senses, increasing his senses of sight, hearing and smell well beyond that of normal humans. Finally, his most unique feature was that each of his hands contained three, foot-long, razor-sharp, retractable, bone claws that appeared between his knuckles. It was these claws that had earned him the name, the Wolverine.

Why Logan had been born with these gifts was a mystery to everyone, including Logan. In fact, Logan knew very little about himself. The only life he knew before joining the army was the years carving out an existence in the wilderness on the outskirts of a small Canadian village, hunting and foraging for what he could get, trading animal skins for what he couldn't. But he hadn't always lived this life in solitude.

Next to Logan was his best friend and fellow Canadian, Victor "Sabertooth" Creed. Creed was a hulking man, standing roughly 6'4" and built like a tank. He had dark blue eyes and straggly, sandy blonde hair that came down to his shoulders. He wore a long, brown trench coat over a sleeve-less black shirt and brown pants along with brown combat boots. Victor was born with similar to Logan's but instead of retractable claws, he had been born with incredible strength. Also, Victor was more feral looking, with hard, sharpened nails and elongated canines.

Though Victor's life was not a mystery like Logan's, he was still as much in the dark about the origin of his powers as Logan was. Victor had been born to a Canadian farmer who had abused him because of his freakish appearance. Eventually, he fled and carved out an existence in the wilderness. Years later he met Logan, who he quickly bonded with because of their similar nature. Victor lived with Logan over the next few years, helping him try and uncover the secrets of his past. When the Second World War had broken out, it was Victor who had convinced Logan to join the Canadian Army with him. Soon the two were assigned to the special ops team they were on, under the direct command of Captain America.

Finally, the third man appeared to be even more of an enigma then the other two. This came mostly from the gold colored mask he wore upon his face, which obscured the area around his eyes, nose and cheeks, making his blonde hair the only discernable feature about him. The rest of his uniform was made of the same gold colored armor on his chest, shoulders and shins, while the clothes he wore beneath it was similar to what Victor and Logan wore, including black gloves. On his belt he carried a set of dual automatic pistols.

This was David North. North had been born in Germany under the name Christopher Nord. He had defected from Germany before the war, but not before he was trained to be as a soldier and infiltrator. Needless to say, he had been interrogated thoroughly for any information and possible ulterior motives for defecting to the Allies.

Not only was he a skilled soldier and spy, but like Wolverine and Sabertooth, North had been born with an unusual talent, his being the ability to absorb and redirect kinetic energy (such as from an explosion). Changing his name and taking the codename 'Maverick', he joined Cap's elite commando unit.

Together the five of them made up the elite special ops unit known as the Howling Commandos. The group had been set up to defeat some of the more deadly enemies employed by Hitler and the Axis powers. The group had had many adventures and had achieved a legendary status among the Allied soldiers.

Along with the Commandos was their unofficial mascot, James Buchanan Barnes or 'Bucky' for short. Bucky was a young soldier and experienced acrobat who had joined the army around the same time Captain America did. After being saved by the Captain, Bucky pledged his loyalty to the hero and became his unofficial sidekick. Dressing in short sleeved uniform with a similar American flag design as Cap's and a thin, black mask to conceal his identity, Barnes fought alongside Cap, and later the Commandos, and had gained a legendary standing himself.

"So what's the plan?" asked Wolverine.

"Simple really," responded Cap, "we go down there and make sure whatever their trying to make happen down there, doesn't."

"Sounds like my kind of plan" said Sabertooth, grinning.

"Wait" whispered Patriot, pointing towards the church "something's happening."

Sure enough, a man was approaching the center of the site while the large, gyroscope-like object began whirling to life. The man was pale-looking, with a bald head and a full beard. He was dressed in a long fur robe over his bare chest and black pants. On his right hand he wore a large gauntlet-like object with cables attached to the whirling machine with electricity surging through it. As the machine began to whirl faster, he began to recite words which seemed to echo through the entire structure. Suddenly a blue energy began to form in the center of the machines whirling blades and it was steadily growing in power.

"We have to stop him!" shouted Bruttenholm.

"You got it!" replied Bulldozer, before grabbing a grenade from his belt, yanking out the pin and tossing it down into the church. The grenade bounced a couple of times before rolling to a stop at the feet of one of the white clad soldiers. Looking down, the shoulder froze in horror.

"_Granate! Granate_!" he yelled before the explosive silenced him. The blast was powerful enough that it launched him into the air, sending him flying into the orb of energy formed by the gyroscope. He screamed in pain as the energy reduced him into nothingness in a matter of seconds.

"Charge!" Cap yelled as he, the Howling Commandos, and Easy Company raced down the hill into the ruined church.

"Kill them! Do not let them harm Rasputin!" yelled Zemo in German as he prepared himself to face his old foe.

Kroenen moved like lighting, reaching to his side and pulling out a pistol. With quick precision he fire three shots, killing some of the soldiers traveling with Easy Company. He took a fourth shot which caught Bruttenholm in the leg. Yelling in pain, he fell to the ground clutching his leg. Kroenen aimed to finish the young professor, but he was saved when he was pulled out of the way by Sgt. Rock.

"What are you doing here, bookworm! This is no place for a guy like you!" yelled the hardened soldier.

"You have to stop that man!" yelled, pointing at the bald man who was ignoring the battle raging around him. "You have to stop him before-". He was silenced when he saw something form in the ball of energy. It was a hole, big enough for a man to crawl through. A portal.

As they were talking, Kroenen continued to cut down the American soldiers with his gun. Suddenly, a man hopped out of the rubble with a roar. Kroenen opened up on him with his gun empting his clip. But even though he took four bullets to the chest, he refused to fall down. Even more astonishing was the sound of the bullets clinking to the ground as the man's wounds healed before the assassin's eyes. Growling, Wolverine glared at the man, feral rage in his eyes.

"Sorry Lughead, you'll have to do better then that," he growled.

Unfazed, Kroenen simply took a step back and held his hands at his sides. Suddenly, two blades shot out from his jacket, appearing just beneath his arms. He made a few quick motions with the blades, showing his skill before readying himself. Grinning, Wolverine lowered himself into a fighting position before popping out his bone-white claws.

"Alright bub, let's do this." he said, before lunging at the German assassin.

Captain America was racing through the battlefield, trying to reach Baron Zemo. Suddenly, a handful of soldiers jumped out, attempting to halt his progress. Gripping his shield, Cap hurled it at the group. The men cried out in pain as the shield struck them. It ricocheted off each of their heads before it returned to him perfectly. After catching his shield, Cap took the moment to survey the battlefield.

Nearby, he saw Bucky was trying to reunite with him but was cut off by three soldiers. Bucky skidded to a stop before shifting his weight back. Allowing his momentum to carry him, he back flipped away from the soldiers while at the same time sending out an upward kick. His foot struck the center soldier's rifle, sending it flying from his hands. Bucky finished his flip in time to catch the rifle as it landed nicely in his hands. Gripping the gun by its barrel, he entered a batter's stance before swinging it like a baseball bat and cracking the now weaponless soldier across the head, sending him sprawling. Following through with his swing, Bucky turned to one of the other soldiers, gripping the rifle at both ends.

"Catch!" Bucky yelled as he tossed the man the rifle. Caught off guard, the German instinctively caught the rifle stunned in bewilderment. While the soldier was off guard, Bucky quickly turned and punched the other soldier, who was equally stunned at the turn of events, in the face, sending the man falling to the ground. Retuning his attention to the other soldier, he grabbed the man by the shoulders before bringing a knee up into his stomach. As the man bent over with the wind knocked out of him, Bucky gripped his head before brining a knee up into his masked face. The man reeled back, his nose broken, allowing Bucky to finish him with an uppercut to the chin, sending him sprawling, out cold. Finally, returning to the final soldier who was on his hands and knees, he booted the man in the face, knocking him out before running to catch up with Cap.

Looking to his left he saw Patriot charging a group of five German soldiers, shield at the ready. The soldiers opened up with their machine guns, but the bullets bounced off his hard, titanium shield. With a roar, he barreled into the group, scattering four of them while he bull rushed the fifth, knocking him flat and out. Spinning, he threw a punch with his unshielded fist, shattering another German's jaw and sending him sprawling. Pat followed through with the punch, spinning in a circle which he ended with a powerful backhand with his shield to the third soldier with a resounding clang. One of the remaining soldiers charged the Patriot with a yell, holding his gun like a club. Unfazed, Patriot lowered his stance in preparation. As the soldier reached him, Patriot grabbed him, and using his own momentum against him, tossed the soldier, sending him flying into the orb of energy, which dissolved him almost instantly. Turning to the remaining soldier, he glared at him, causing the man to shake in his boots.

"You want some of this!" he threatened, gesturing towards the German. The soldier let out a cry of fear before throwing his weapon to the ground and running away as he could. "I didn't think so." Patriot said to himself, grinning.

In a different part of the church, Cap could see Wolverine fighting against the German assassin Kroenen, pitting his claws against the masked man's blades. Sparks flew as the two fought, meeting each other blow for blow. Quickly, Kroenen threw an upper cutting blow with his blades, knocking Wolverine's claws out of the way before he sent an upward diagonal slash to his face. Spinning with the momentum from the blow, Wolverine spun around and back handed Kroenen with his claws, scratching three long thin marks into the metal of his mask. Wolverine grinned as his wounds healed, watching the German feel the marks on his mask.

"What's the matter, Lughead?" Wolverine asked mockingly, "Did I scratch ya?"

Wolverine could almost feel the hate coming off the silent man as he recovered and charged the Canadian.

A little ways away Sabertooth was attempting to reach Wolverine to aid him in his fight. As he neared his friend, a group of four soldiers ran up in an attempt to stop him. Seeing the men approach, Sabertooth roared savagely and charged them. With a sweep of his hand he struck one in the head, sending him flying into a column, destroying it. Before the others could react, he grabbed two by the collars and smashed them together, breaking a few bones before he tossed them over his shoulder like pieces of trash. The final soldier ran up and smacked him in the face with the butt of his rifle. This, however only angered the Canadian, who grabbed the man with his clawed hand. Lifting him up to face level, he growled at the man like a primal animal. A large crash from the battle between Wolverine and Kroenen brought him back to his senses. Looking at his friend then at the struggling man in his hand, he snapped the man's neck with a twist of his wrist and tossed him aside before continuing towards Wolverine and Kroenen.

Finally, Cap glanced at the rest of his allies near the entrance to the church. There he saw Maverick and most of Easy Company taking cover as they exchanged gunfire with a large group of German soldiers. He could see Sgt. Rock and Professor Bruttenholm to one side of the conflict. Suddenly, one of the soldiers of Easy Company yelled out.

"Grenade!" he shouted as one of the soldiers threw one of their potato masher-style grenades at the clustered soldiers. With lightning fast reflexes, Maverick leaped up on top of the wall he was crouched behind and jumped into the air. Twisting his body to dodge the bullets fired at him, he reached out and grabbed the incoming grenade. Turning so he faced the enemy soldiers, he threw the grenade back where it came from. Before the men could run, he pulled out one of his handguns and shot at the grenade. The bullets found its target, which caused the grenade to detonate prematurely, scattering deadly shrapnel among the stunned soldiers, striking them down. Easy Company cheered as Maverick landed and surveyed his handiwork with pride.

"Cap!" shouted Bucky, snapping Cap back to reality "Come on! We have to get Zemo!" Cap nodded and followed his young sidekick as he charged his longtime foe.

"Ah, my good Captain! And of course his young protégé!" shouted Zemo as he notice Cap approaching him, "It is so good to see you again, my old friend."

"I wish I could say the same Zemo," Cap replied coldly.

"Oh, Captain! Your words cut me! What have I ever done to offend you?"

"Enough talk Zemo! We finish this, here and now!"

"Fine! We shall do this your way." Zemo replied, drawing his sword as well as an advanced looking handgun. "Only one of us will leave this island alive or none at all!"

Meanwhile, Rock and Bruttenholm were still hiding behind a stray piece of stone, debating what to do about the portal that the bearded man had opened.

"So what do we do about the portal-thing you were telling me about, bookworm?" asked Rock.

"We have to destroy it, Sergeant. Plain and simple." replied the young professor.

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"Do you have any grenades?"

"No, I've got something better." he said before sticking his head up from behind the stone and shouting, "Short Round! Long Round!" Almost instantly, the two responded simultaneously, turning their heads to look at Rock.

"Take that thing out!" he yelled, pointing at the gyroscope.

Both them nodded before springing in to action. They raced from their positions to a more clear part of the base. As they reached it, Long Shot slid to a stop and fell to one knee before he took out the bazooka strapped to his back and set it on his right shoulder. Reaching into his own pack, Short Round took out one of the bazooka shells he carried and loaded it into the back of the bazooka.

"Set!" yelled Short Round to Long Round.

"Okay!" he yelled before setting the bazooka's sights on the base of the gyroscope and placing his finger on the trigger. "Alright buddy, let's blow this thing sky high!"

Sabertooth roared as his fist connected with Kroenen's mask, sending the German flying into the ruins. He slowly rose up, silent as ever to the pain he was enduring. As he stood, he focused on the two Canadians in front of him. Despite the battle they had been fighting, both men were unscathed. Kroenen on the other hand was not so fortunate. Cuts and bruises covered his body, most notably the deep mark the short one had left on his mask.

Suddenly, he heard one of the Americans barking orders to some of the others. He was about to ignore the distraction when he saw, to his horror, two of the Americans setting up an anti-tank weapon and aiming it at the portal!

Kroenen sprung into action, desperate to stop the two soldiers. For if they destroyed the portal, all his masters had worked for would be lost. Racing towards his two adversaries, he couched as he ran and with a mighty leap, soared over them before continuing towards the soldiers.

To his dismay, he was unable to reach the two before they shot the bazooka. Kroenen realized that it was time for something desperate. He had to try and intercept the missile before it hit. With a mighty leap, Kronenen flung himself towards the missile, reaching out to grasp it…and missed by mere inches. The rocket flew past the German and connected with the gyroscope's base, flinging the still airborne man into a wall with a fiery explosion along with shards of deadly shrapnel. Kronenen cringed as a particular piece flew at him and cut of his left arm. But he quickly forgot about this as another piece flew at him and skewered him through the chest, going straight through the wall he was against. He struggled for a few seconds, before slumping over.

"Yes!" shouted Rock as he saw the machine collapse on itself causing the other soldiers to cheer as well

"Wait!" yelled Bruttenholm, pointing at the quickly deteriorating portal, "Look!"

Looking, the soldiers saw the bald headed man begin to flail around, as if fighting something.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed, as his very skin began to tear away and fly into the portal. Suddenly, the force of the portal dragged him towards it, sucking him by his stomach. He became stuck however, his upper torso and his legs sticking out at different angles. The force of the portal proved too strong however, and with a sickening snap, the man was bent in to and pulled screaming into the portal before it closed behind him.

Baron Zemo was locked in mortal combat with Captain America and Bucky. Using his gun to great effect, employing it to keep his enemies separated so he could deal with them one at a time. At the moment, Zemo had knocked Bucky off of his feet and was about to strike the boy with his sword when he was knocked down by an earth moving explosion. Looking over, he saw the portal collapse on itself, but not before it dragged the mad monk kicking and screaming with it.

'Damn it!' thought Zemo, 'We were so close! The Fuehrer will not like this at all. I thought the Skull said that no one…Bastard! He tricked me! I'll wring his neck! But first,' Zemo paused in his thoughts as he saw Cap turn his attention away from the destruction and back to him, 'I need to get out of this hellhole in one piece. Luckily, I always come prepared.'

"Well my friends, it appears I have overstayed my welcome." Zemo said, as he rose back to his feet, "Please accept my dearest apologies, but I must bid you both adieu."

"You're not going anywhere Zemo," Bucky spat as he clenched his fists.

"Ah, my boy, you see that is where you are sorely mistaken,"

Zemo reached behind his back and took as small remote off his belt. Bringing it up near his head, he pushed a large button in its center and a red light lit up on it. For a few seconds nothing happened but then a low droning could be heard, steadily growing louder.

"What it you do Zemo?" demanded Cap, "What's going on?"

"Sorry Captain, I'd love to stay and chat but you see, I have a plane to catch." He said before running towards a sea cliff located near the base.

"Stop!" yelled Cap before taking off after him, followed closely by Bucky.

As they raced towards the cliffs, the droning continued to grow. As it grew, Cap could make out an object flying steadily towards the island from the north. As it came closer, Cap could see it was a small plane being piloted on its own. It had a steering attachment, but no cockpit, meaning the pilot would have to lie down upon the outside as he flew. Cap quickly realized this was one of Zemo's inventions, most likely designed for a quick escape.

Cap and Bucky were hot on Zemo's heels as they neared the sea cliff. As they reached it, Zemo leaped off the cliff, quickly followed by Cap and Bucky. They fell a few yards before the drone plane swooped beneath them. Zemo landed perfectly in the center and Cap and Bucky, a few seconds behind, grabbing the plane's tail. Zemo snapped his head around and growled in anger when he discovered his daring escape hadn't worked as he planned.

"Just where do you think you're going, Zemo!" Bucky shouted over the winds generated by the flying plane.

"Sorry boy," Zemo said curtly as he drew his pistol and pointed it at the young man, "but I can't afford any excess baggage."

Cap could only watch in horror as a dark red light shot from the gun and struck Bucky in the chest. He cried out in pain as he flew off the plane, blood spewing from the burnt wound that now took up most of his chest. He tumbled through the air before hitting the frigid water below. There was no doubt in Captain America's mind that his friend was dead. Tears cascaded down his cheeks as he clenched his hands in rage. Turing to Zemo, he found his nemesis lowering the gun at him, preparing to repeat the atrocity. But Cap wouldn't let that happen.

Roaring in utter fury, Cap dove at the man, grabbing Zemo's hand by the wrist before he could shoot him as well. As the two crashed together, the plane jerked about erratically.

"Stop you fool!" Zemo yelled, "You'll kill us both!"

"That's fine with me!" Cap seethed as he pulled his arm back to punch Zemo, "I'd be happy to die as long as I take you with me!"

Zemo dodged to the side as Cap threw his fist at his face, resulting in Cap inadvertently punching the plane's controls. As Cap pulled back he left a gapping hole which began to spark and start small fires. Suddenly, the plane began to shake and jerk violently as it began to plummet towards the sea below.

"You imbecile!" Zemo screamed "Look at what you've done! You've damaged the engine! We're going to die because of you!"

Before Cap could answer, a whooshing sound was heard before the plane erupted in a fiery explosion, jettisoning both of them from the plane. As he fell, battered and bruised, everything seemed to slow down for Steve Rodgers. His life flashed before his eyes. He saw himself as a scrawny boy growing up. He saw himself as a cartoon artist before joining the war. He saw himself going through Project: Rebirth. Finally, he saw himself as Captain America, battling the Nazis alongside his Howling Commando's. Looking to his side, he saw Zemo hit the water a few seconds before he did. Unbeknownst to Cap, Zemo's body would eventually be found on the shores of Great Britain with a 10-inch metal shard through his still masked face.

Cap didn't feel it when he hit the water; his body had already numbed him to pain. What he did feel was very tired as his eyelids became incredibly heavy. As he sank into the crushing abyss that was the North Atlantic, Cap's mind turned to his dead partner Bucky. Tears began to form in Cap's closing eyes as he was overcome with sorrow.

'Bucky… so sorry…couldn't save…you…forgive…me' Cap thought before he succumbed to the darkness of what he thought was death. But he was wrong. His destiny does not stop their. Fate was content to let Captain America sleep before it reawakened him, to toy with him yet again.

Meanwhile, back on the island, the fighting had died down when the portal was destroyed. Patriot had raced after Bucky and Cap when he saw them chase after Zemo, but was unable to catch up and was forced to stand helplessly as he watched the events unfold.

"Cap!" he yelled out in fear as he saw a figure fall from the plane.

"Oh God no, Cap! Bucky!" he yelled in shock when the plane began to plummet, but the worst came when he saw the plane explode into a ball of fire.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed in anguish as he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. He had just witnessed, Captain America, his best friend apparently die in battle. It was too much for even a strong man like Isaiah to take. Steve had always seemed invincible to him, undefeatable, untouchable. Watching him perish in the war he'd helped win, the war that was so closed to being over was shattering to him.

The rest of the Howling Commando's watched in horror and anguish at the events before them. Some cried, others just stood too shocked to say or do anything. Then Sgt. Rock move to where Patriot sat crying. He placed a hand on the man's shoulder, causing him to whip around to look at him with tear-filled eyes,

"Come on, son." he said solemnly, his own sorrowful eyes hidden in the shadow of his helmet, "Let's go. We can mourn them back at base. We can do them more honor there. They died for what he loved the most, their country. Let's go, it's over."

"No it's not" Professor Bruttenholm said darkly, as he was helped to his feet by Bulldozer, "It's only just begun."

"What are you talking about?" asked Rock.

"Well for one, look." he said pointing at the wall where Kroenen was speared, or had been speared, as now the body had mysteriously vanished. The soldiers gasped in shock

"That's not all. The portal was open for to long. Something…may have come through." replied Bruttenholm, shocking everyone into silence.

"Come through from where?" asked Bulldozer hesitantly.

"Do you believe in Hell, Professor?" Bulldozer asked as he looked around the above ground tomb they were currently searching. Sgt. Rock had ordered the whole church swept for anything…out of the ordinary. The tomb wasn't very large, only about ten feet square. The roof had holes in it, leaving it open to the elements. The entrance broke away into the court yard. A coffin was resting near the opposite wall, covered in dust and roots. Bulldozer was shining his light on an engraving above the coffin, picturing a group of dancing demons before a wall of flame. The professor was sitting near the entrance on an out cropping of stone, nursing his injured leg.

"I believe in a place where dark evils reside, waiting to be released so they can unleash their terror upon the world of men. I believe in a place where God's love does not shine. That's what I believe hell is Mr. Canfield, what about you?" the young Brit answered.

"Well I guess I believe the stuff I was taught in Sunday school. Ya know the place were damned souls burn for all eternity," Bulldozer replied.

"All eternity you say? Well you may have wanted to tell Grigori that."

"Grigori?"

"Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin."

"Rasputin!"

"Yes, a Russian mystic born in 1869, who gained standing with Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia. He was known for his miraculous healings, as well as his sinful nature. He grew quite close to the Tsarina and was held in high esteem by the royal family, but the rest of the country hated him. A group of nobles decided he held to much influence. On December 16 1916, he was poisoned, shot, clubbed and drowned, and yet we saw him here tonight. So, you see Mr. Canfield, Hell does not appear to be the inescapable prison you paint it to be."

"Well, what do thing he was trying to do?"

"I believe he was trying to bring something through."

"What exactly?"

Suddenly, a clattering noise came from the corner of the tomb. Bulldozer spun around and shined his light in the corner while drawing his sidearm. Seeing something dart out of the light, he fired a quick series of shots while he followed the shape as it dashed up onto a stone shelf.

"Stop shooting soldier!" Bruttenholm yelled.

"What is it!" Bulldozer shouted in a panicked voice, though he did hold his fire.

"I'm not sure." the young professor replied as he rose slowly to his feet.

"It looks like some kind of ape! But it's red!" Bulldozer continued to yell.

"What the hell is going on in here!" Sgt. Rock yelled as he rushed in followed by Wildman.

"It's a red ape, Sarge!" Bulldozer shouted back.

The creature let out a monkey-like shriek, apparently agitated by all the yelling. This was viewed a hostile by Rock and Wildman who drew their pistols and pointed them at the creature, causing it to shrink away in fear.

"Wait!" Bruttenholm, trying to diffuse the situation.

"It's got a rock in its hand!" Bulldozer cried, still pointing his gun at the small creature.

"I think that is its hand," replied the professor.

Bruttenholm moved slowly towards the creature, trying to get a better look at it. It was about the size of a house cat but was humanoid in shape. It indeed had red skin, which appeared to be covered in strange tattoo-like markings. Two small horns grew from its head, just above two large brown eyes. A skinny spaded tail trailed from its back side. Its left hand was normal in proportion to him, but its right appeared to be almost as large as it was. It cowered as Bruttenholm approached.

"Its okay, I won't hurt you," he cooed. Reaching into his pocket he produced a Baby Ruth bar he was planning on eating later. Opening it, he offered it to the small creature.

"Here" he said, holding it towards the creature. When it hesitated, he took a bite of the candy to display it was edible before reoffering it. This time it became more interested, reaching for the candy with its left hand, but came up short. After a few seconds of struggling in vain, the creature relented and reached with its right hand, easily grabbing the bar and pulling it to itself, which it began to devour with relish. When it reached out, it gave the men a better view of its right hand. It appeared stone in texture and had strange carvings engraved near its base, halfway up the creatures lower arm.

"Holy! Look at the size of that wammer!" Rock shouted when it grabbed the food with its larger arm.

Ignoring the comment, Bruttenholm took off the blanket he had been wearing around his shoulders and placed it in his arms like a basket.

"Hey" he said gently, catching the creature's attention, "Come on down, it's alright."

The creature hesitated at the edge of the shelf, but as the professor encouraged it more, it jumped into his outstretched arms. Catching it, the professor quickly wrapped in the blanket before turning it so he could look at it. A small smile appeared on its face as it looked as his kindly one. Bulldozer came over to the two and a smile crept across his face as well.

"It's a boy!" he exclaimed, looking at the other men, "A baby boy!"

The other two came over to join them in admiring the baby boy.

"Wow," Wildman said, "he's a cute little guy."

"What are you going to call him?" Bulldozer asked.

"Well, I've never been good with names," Trevor relented, "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Hmmm," Rock thought, scratching his chin, "How about…Hellboy!"

"Hellboy?" Bruttenholm asked with an unsure expression.

"Sure it fits," Rock replied, before leaning over the baby, "Well what do you think, Hellboy?"

Upon hearing the name, the baby giggled, apparently giving his approval.

"Well he seems to like it," Rock stated, triumphantly.

"Well I don't think it's a proper name, but I agree, he does seem to like it." the professor relented.

Then leaning down towards the baby, he smiled before saying, "Welcome to the world…Hellboy."

A/N: Sorry if anyone was out of character. As for the members of Easy Company, I wasn't sure what some looked like so don't hurt me if I got it wrong. Please review! Please?


	3. Figment of Your Imagination

Chapter 3: Just a Figment of Your Imagination

_Starlight, star bright,_

_First star I see tonight_

_I wish I may,_

_I wish I might_

_Have this wish_

_I wish tonight._

_Earth Date: June, 5__th__, 1990, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy_

The stars twinkled above the blue and green planet known as Earth. These tiny specks of light, rays that had traveled from suns billions upon billions of miles away, had intrigued the denizens of the planet, a race known to itself as 'humans', through out their existence. As they came to dominate their planet, the stars served as a form of direction and inspiration, from the greatest of ballads to the simplest of rhymes. Recently the humans had begun to reach for these stars. They learned the simplest of means to leave their planet, extending their influence to the planet's orbit and lone satellite, know to them simply as "the Moon". Still the humans looked to the stars for guidance, hoping to one day stand amongst them. In older times, humans believed stars held magical powers, capable of granting a persons wish by simply being asked to in the proper way. Little did the humans know, the stars were about to bestow upon them a gift that would change the coarse of history of their people and their planet for eons to come.

A white flash burst into view just beyond the moon. As it dimmed a small object could be seen as it slowed its speed, preparing to descend to the planet's surface. The object was reminiscent of a football in shape, roughly five feet in length and constructed out of a sleek silver-colored metal. A dome of tinted glass was located near its rear, close to the ship's single yet powerful engine. Two wings flanked its sides and across its front was painted in black the shape of a stylized S contained in a diamond, the symbol of the now almost extinct House of El.

This was the Hyperspace Pod, sent to Earth by Jor-El from the doomed Krypton half a century earlier. Contained within was Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton, who, thanks to the animation suspension system in the Pod, hadn't aged a day in his 50 year voyage. As the ship approached Earth, the auto-pilot prepared to enter the atmosphere and crash land on the planet's surface. The ship set up its trajectory and cut its engine as it began its descent.

However, unbeknownst to the ship, its arrival did not go unnoticed. Off to the side, observing the scene while it transmitted the info to Earth, was a lone satellite. Sprayed painted across its side in light blue were the letters S.H.E.I.L.D.

_Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean._

A large group of clouds floated lazily over the North Atlantic in the peaceful summer weather. Suddenly, they were forcibly parted as a massive object moved through them. The object was obviously a ship of some sort as it flew under its own control, suspended by a series of gigantic rotor blades located along the sides of the ship. These engines supported a large, rectangular, steel structure the size of an aircraft carrier. Similarly, the top of the ship was completely flat and was dotted with lines for directing taxiing jets. A lone tower stood near the rear of the ship, over looking the runway. The rest of the ship was fitted with heavy armor plating along its sides, with numerous tinted windows peering out through the ship's hull. A large window, narrow and long, stretched across one end of the ship, identifying the location of the ship's command deck. Directly below the deck was a large insignia shaped like a shield with a black eagle displayed upon it with the acronym S.H.I.E.L.D written below bird's talons in large blue letters.

S.H.E.I.L.D. (short for Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage, and Logistics Directorate) was a special organization set up and directly controlled by the United Nations after World War II. S.H.E.I.L.D.'s main directive was to protect the planet from terrorism and other world scale threats. For decades S.H.E.I.L.D. had been taking both direct and undercover action to keep peace between the countries of the world in order to prevent a World War III. This included monitoring so called 'meta-human' activity, cases of people demonstrating superhuman capabilities. As these instances occurred more frequently, it became S.H.E.I.L.D.'s responsibility to keep these beings in check, for fear of a shift in the balance of power between the world superpowers.

The ship was known as the Helicarrier and had been designed by some of the world's greatest minds. It served as S.H.E.I.L.D.'s mobile headquarters, from which they could travel anywhere in the world as well as stayed one step ahead of their numerous enemies thanks to S.H.E.I.L.D's many satellites and informants.

Upon the Helicarrier's Command Deck, numerous computers were ringed about the room where a small army of technicians controlled the ship as well as organize the large amount of data streaming into the computers. In the center of this large room sat a chair on a raised platform, where the commanding officer of the ship observed his subordinates at work.

The man was an African-American in his late twenties. He was well built and wore a blue trench coat over a dark blue bodysuit with S.H.E.I.L.D.'s emblem emblazoned over his left breast. His head was shaven bald while he wore a black eye patch over his right eye, a dark scar running vertically beneath it. His left eye was brown in color and it gazed sternly over the Command Deck, a serious expression written across his face.

This was General Nick Fury of the United States Army and, more importantly, Director of S.H.E.I.L.D. Fury was born and raised in Gotham City, New York; in a gritty neighborhood know as the Narrows. When Fury graduated from high school, he joined the Army and with a sharp mind and indomitable spirit, quickly moved through the ranks. Eventually, Fury was chosen to join the ranks of S.H.E.I.L.D.'s elite agents before becoming the Director of the agency himself. But being in such a high position did not mean he was a push over. He was well-trained in hand-to-hand combat, fire arms, demolitions, espionage, assassinations and other skills as well as having a large number of advanced and, sometimes, experimental equipment at his disposal.

Fury sat silently watching his subordinates at work. Suddenly, an alarm sounded and a red light began flashing above one of the consuls. Fury jumped up and rushed over to the terminal, the crew moving out of his way as he went.

"What have we got?" Fury asked sternly, looking at the technician. The man took of the headset he had been wearing and turned to address the General.

"Our satellites just picked up an object of unnatural origin entering our atmosphere." answered the young man, a look of wonder on his face.

"Is it terrestrial in origin?"

"L-Look for yourself, Sir." he replied, gesturing towards his computer screen.

Bending down, Fury looked at the screen. Displayed on it was a football shaped object descending towards the planet at impressive speeds. Fury glanced over at the energy readout the satellite had taken of the ship, his single eye narrowing. It was off the charts. Definitely NOT terrestrial.

"What are we going to do about it, Sir?" asked the technician anxiously, looking at Fury who had a look of deep concentration on his face.

"We're going to send in the professionals, son" Fury replied finally, keeping his cool and turning to return to his chair.

"Sir?"

"We've got an unexpected visitor people!" shouted Fury to the room, ignoring the technician's question, "Track that ship, I want to know were the hell that fireball is going. Scrabble the fighters; I don't what us caught with our pants down if E.T decides to go Independence Day on our collective asses. And someone get Zed on the goddamn horn NOW!"

_Smallville, Kansas_

Golden rays cut across the late afternoon sky that soared above the outskirts of the Kansas town of Smallville. A lonely paved road cut across the amber fields of the surrounding land. Currently a lone red pickup truck was traveling down the stretch of pavement, carrying its two passengers to their home. One of them, the driver, was a man in his late thirties with a strong physique. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a red flannel shirt and a pair of old jeans with some worn brown loafers. Next to him sat a woman in her mid thirties with shoulder length brown hair, blue eyes and a physique suggesting physical labor. She wore a blue button up shirt and a slim pair of jeans.

Currently the woman's head was lowered and her hands were playing with her stomach. The man looked over at her worryingly and placed a hand on her shoulder. She raised her head to look at him, eyes glistening with tears. The couple had just come from a maternity doctor in town, hoping to start a family and had not received good news. Apparently, an injury the woman had received in her youth had damaged her uterus, leaving her unable to bear children. She was heartbroken.

"Don't worry Martha" he said sympathetically, looking at her with loving eyes. "It's not the end of the world. We could always adopt."

"You're right Jonathan," replied Martha, wiping her moist eyes before continuing, "It's just that ever since we got married I've wanted to have a baby. I've wished for it so hard," she paused looking out the window, eyes locking on a tiny star on the horizon, "and I still do," she continued before shutting her eyes and whispering to herself, "I wish I could have a little baby all my own."

"So do I honey," he said, a loving smile on his face, "Tell you what! First thing tomorrow we'll go into town and HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!" He yelled when suddenly a large object flew past the front of the trunk, missing it by inches. The object smashed into the ground next to the road, the blast from the impact causing the already skidding truck to spin out of control, coming to rest partially off the road on the side the object crashed.

Gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white, he turned to Martha, who had a death grip on his arm, trembling uncontrollably.

"Are you alright?" he asked worryingly.

She timidly nodded before asking, "What was that, Jonathan?"

Turning to look through the windshield, he saw the object had made a large gash in the ground before coming to a rest a few yards away. A cloud of smoke and dust slowly rose from the crater.

"I don't know," he replied, before narrowing his eyes, opening his door and adding, "but I'm going to find out."

"I'm coming to!" piped up Martha, jumping out of her seat to join her husband.

Martha gripped Jonathan's arm tightly as they crept towards where the object lay. Slowly, they leaned over to peer into the crater. Inside sat a smooth, football shaped object as long as a man is tall. A black dome of glass sat near the rear of the ship near a small propulsion engine. Jonathan also noticed a diamond shape with a stylized S in its center. Steam slowly rose from the ship, as though it was cooling after just being superheated.

Suddenly, a loud hissing sound came from the pod as the steam was parted from air rushing out of the sides of the glass dome. As the hissing stopped, the dome began to rise, slowly revealing the ships interior. As the dome opened, a wailing sound escape from the ship that Jonathan instantly recognized as…the crying of a baby?

Martha let out a gasp as her maternal instincts took over and she hurriedly climbed into the crater where the ship lay before Jonathan could stop her. Reaching into the ship, she pulled out a small bundle of red cloth.

"Jonathan!" she called out "Come quick! It's a boy! A baby boy!"

Jonathan climbed into the crater and look at the infant in his wife's arms. He had a round face with short black hair and the bluest eyes Jonathan had ever seen. Gurgling with glee, the baby reached out towards him with his tiny hands.

"Hey little guy," he said affectionately, wiggling his index finger in front of the baby's face, causing him to giggle and latch on to it.

"Wow you've got some grip there, little guy!" he said as the baby tightened his grip, "Hey that kind of hurts. Ow. Ow!" '_CRACK_' "OWWWWWW!" he yelled as the boy almost crushed his finger with inhuman strength. The babe began to wail as it relinquished its grip on his finger, which Jonathan instantly retracted and check for damage.

"Jonathan! You scared him!" Martha scolded, comforting the now crying babe.

"He scared me!" he retorted.

Martha turned and began to sooth the babe, calming him down.

"Well what are we going to do?" Jonathan asked.

"Well we can't just leave him hear!" snapped Martha

"I know!" he replied defensively, holding his hands in front of him.

"Well…I think…if you don't object that is…that…" she trailed off.

"That?" he questioned

"That we take him home with us." She stated quickly.

"Matha…I don't know."

"Please Jonathan please!" she pleaded, "It's like our wishes have been granted. I mean we just find out I can't have a child, which you know I want more than anything else in the world and this precious little child falls, quite literally into our laps. It's like destiny or something! Please Jonathan I'm begging you."

"Well, when you put it that way…how can I not say yes." He said with a shrug.

"Oh thank you Jonathan! Thank you!" she squealed before running over and kissing him on the cheek. The baby, sensing the moment, let out a giggle of happiness.

"All right! All right!" Jonathan said smiling, pushing off his gushing wife before continuing, "Well if we're going to keep him, we'd best give him a proper name. Any suggestions?"

Martha looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking, "How about…Clark."

"Clark." repeated Jonathan "Clark Kent. I like the sound of it." Then he bent down and addressed the baby in his wife's hands, "How's about it Clark, you want to come and live with us?" The baby let out a squeal of happiness in response.

"Well I'll take that as a yes." Straitening up and addressing his wife, "That settles it then. Martha, you take Clark and go wait in the truck. I'll put…whatever that is in the back. Who knows what would happen if someone stumbled across it."

As Martha got into the truck with Clark, Jonathan climbed into the crater to retrieve the pod. To his surprise the ship was incredibly light and in no time he had put it into the back of the truck and they continued along towards home…but not before a ramshackle pickup truck pulled up to the spot where the pod had crashed and watched the happy new family depart through narrowed eyes.

The day had started normally enough for the Kents. That was until Fred McDuggin decided to pay them a visit. Jonathan was reading the paper and drinking his morning coffee while Martha was feeding Clark some milk in a small glass. The couple had been discussing going into town to pick up the necessary items for Clark. The one thing that was puzzling Jonathan was how to explain Clark's sudden appearance. He couldn't very well tell the truth, not unless he wanted to be fitted for a straight jacket, or worse, have Clark taken away from them. But his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell and what sounded like a hammer being taken to his front door.

Answering the door, he was met by the weasel-like face of Fred McDuggin. Fred was a local farmer known for his willingness to do anything for a quick buck. He was the same height as Jonathan but had a scrawnier frame. He wore a loose fitting green shirt under a pair of dirty denim overalls. Stringy brown hair clung to his head. His long nose was flanked by a pair of beady brown eyes that were staring at Jonathan with burning hate.

"Is there something I can help you with Fred?" Jonathan asked cautiously, wary of McDuggin's sudden appearance.

"Yeah Kent there is." He replied with a raspy voice "You can hand over whatever it was you took from my property last night."

Jonathan raised a questioning eyebrow, attempting to figure out what McDuggin was talking about. Suddenly, the realization hit him causing him to go cold with fear. The field that Clark's ship had crashed in had been McDuggin's! He had probably heard the impact, came to investigate and saw them driving off with the ship in the back. Knowing McDuggin, he probably thought the pod could be sold for cash and seeing that it had landed on his property, he had come to claim what he saw as being rightfully his. Fear threatened to show on his face but Jonathan was able to control it and keep a calm appearance, even as his mind scrambled to find a solution.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Fred." Jonathan finally said, keeping his cool.

"The Hell you don't Kent!" McDuggin's bellowed, "I saw you leaving with that weird spaceship thing that crashed on _my property _in the back of your truck last night. Now give me what's mine this instant or I'll-ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!?!?!!"

In truth, Jonathan wasn't paying attention. His attention had been diverted by a black Ford Sedan with tinted pulling up to his house. The car looked like a model from the 1970's and had a New York license plate on its bumper. The car pulled to a stop and two men got out. Both wore impeccable black suits with matching black ties, black leather shoes, white undershirts, and black sunglasses. The driver was a man in his fifties with cru cut brown hair and a hardened face. The passenger looked slightly older, with graying curly hair and moustache along with a face that was softer than his partners, though still tough looking. The men both looked up at the house with emotionless faces before calmly marching up to the front door, there steps falling in stride with each other.

"Is there something I can help you gentlemen with?" Jonathan asked the men as they reached the front door. By then, Martha had joined her husband with Clark in her arms. McDuggin had also noticed there presence and turned towards them with a questioning look on his face.

"Yes Mr. Kent, you can," replied the driver, "I'm Agent Shuster and this is Agent Siegel and we're with Air Force Civilian Investigation Board. We've received information suggesting that you may have recovered a secret Air Force project that was lost somewhere in this area last night. Is this true?"

A cold chill went down Jonathan's spine as the man spoke those words. Glancing at McDuggin, he saw the man's face light up before an evil smile spread across his face. He jumped around to face Jonathan and pointed at him before letting out a victorious "HA!"

"I knew you were a lying mother, Kent!" he yelled before turning to address the Agents, "Gentlemen, the piece of equipment you are looking for landed in my fields last night, but this man," he gestured towards Jonathan, "stole it, probably to sell it to some black market dealer. So if I may suggest-" but he was cut off when Agent Shuster raised his hand, silencing him.

"Are you telling me that you've come into contact with the object in question as well?" he questioned in a serious tone.

"Uh, yes sir." He replied, nodding his head.

"Please go with Agent Siegel and answer all questions he addresses to you." He stated, gesturing towards his partner.

McDuggin nodded and followed Siegel towards the black Sedan. When the men had left, Agent Shuster turned back towards the Kents, and said "Now Mr. Kent, I believe there is something you wanted to show me?"

Jonathan removed the tarp he had placed on the ship when he put it in the barn the night before. Agent Shuster bent down to get a closer look, removing his sunglasses and running his hand along the smooth hull. With his other hand he pulled out a small handheld device and began waving running it around the ship, causing it to make clicks of different volumes, pitches and speeds. He paused for a moment on the black symbol on the front, tracing it with his fingers. Running his device over it, it began to click rapidly. A look of shock to play across his face that was quickly replaced with his usual emotionless mask, but Jonathan had still managed to catch it. He brought his hand up to the glass dome near the back of the ship. As he touched it, it opened up, revealing the ships interior to him. Rising to get a better look, he glanced around the compartment before turning back to the Kents, his brows furrowed.

"What was in this compartment?" he demanded.

"I don't know," replied Jonathan coldly, "It's your engine, you tell me."

Agent Shuster rose quickly to his feet, staring daggers at Jonathan, "I warn you Mr. Kent, I'm not a man to be toyed with. Now tell me what was in that compartment." he demanded again.

"You want to know!? He was!" yelled Jonathan, pointing Clark who was still in Martha's arms, watching the ordeal silently.

"Your son?" asked Agent Shuster calmly

"Yes," replied, hiding his surprise at the man's calm response. "Now I have a few questions of my own, Agent Shuster, if that is your real name, because I damn well sure have never heard of an 'Air Force Civilian Investigation Board'!"

Agent 'Shuster' pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing in frustration. Silently he weighed his options. The situation had already gotten far out of hand. What had originally been a simple grad mission had escalated into not only the discovery of an alien life form by civilians but now it seems they had adopted him as their own! Looking back the couple, he decided that they could probably be trusted with the information. If not…well he didn't have to worry about the consequences.

"Alright Mr. Kent, I'll explain." he began in an exasperated tone, "First off my name is actual Agent K, and yes there is no such thing as the Air Force Civilian Investigation Board. In truth, I work for a top secret, U.N- sanctioned agency that polices monitors and directs alien activity on the planet Earth."

The Kents could only stare at Agent K in dumb shock.

"You're kidding right?" asked Martha after a few moments.

"Does it look like I'm kidding, m'am?" he replied. It didn't.

"So does that mean Clark's…" she trailed off.

"Yes, he's an alien"

"From where?" asked Jonathan.

"I'm not sure at the moment, but with sufficient research we-"

"NO!" shouted Mrs. Kent shouted, holding Clark protectively, "You're not going to take this precious boy and stick him in some lad to be your guinea pig!"

K was about to reassure Mrs. Kent that they weren't going to perform experiments on Clark when his partner rejoined them with McDuggin in tow.

"What have you got, D?" K asked the man, turning his attention away from the hysterical Mrs. Kent as well as McDuggin who had approached the pod to get a better look.

"Nothing," he replied, "the guy knows jack squat. How about the Kents?"

"They know more. They called my bluff and I had to tell them about us to get more info from them. But that's not the problem."

"What is the problem?"

"You see the baby?" K asked, pointing at Clark.

"Yeah?"

"He came in the pod…and they've adopted him."

"So what's the plan?"

"Well the Kents seemed to have become incredibly attached to the boy in such a short time. Hell, the wife was ready to rip my head off if I so much as touched the baby."

D allowed a smirk to form on his face. "Well in that case I think we should let them keep the boy."

"D, you know that against-"

"Against protocol? Yeah, I know. But look at them K." D pointed at the couple, who where huddled together, worried looks on their faces. "Do think we could do any better? You know as well as I do that we can't. If we took him now, he'd grow up in some MIB safe house, never knowing what a true family is like. Can you live with that K? Because I can't. So, for just once, forget protocol K. Give them a chance."

D stared at his more emotionally retarded partner, looking for an answer. After a few moments, K sighed and without saying a word to D, turned on his heel and marched straight over to the Kents.

"Alright," said K, causing the Kents to snap to attention, "this is how it's going to go down. We're going to let you keep the boy." Seeing Mrs. Kent about to say something, K held up his hand silencing her. "First, you must never speak of what he is and how you came about him. Don't worry we'll work out the details. If you ever tell anyone what he is, we will know, we will find you and when we do you'll never see him again." He paused letting the information sink in before continuing. "A team will be by tomorrow to due some tests on the boy and his ship to see if we can't figure out where he comes from. From then on we will have one of our agents stop by every few months to check on the boy's progress. Do you have any questions?"

Mrs. Kent spoke up first. "Yes, Agent…K was it? First, let me tell you how grateful I am to you. You will be receiving a Christmas card from this here on out." She paused to smile at the statuesque man before continuing, "Secondly, if we need to contact you, how will we go about doing that?"

"I can help with that ma'am." said D, who had joined them a few moments before. He reached into his pocket and produced a white business card before handing it to Jonathan. On one side was a phone number along with an address for a building in Metropolis. On the other side, the letters MIB where written in bold font with the words Men in Black beneath them. Martha figured that was the name of the organization, albeit a strange one.

"Just call that number and our operators will assist you." explained D.

"Any more questions?" asked K, donning his sunglasses, preparing to leave.

"Yeah," began Jonathan, looking uncomfortable, "will you guys be monitoring us?"

"Now Mr. Kent, would you expect anything less from us?" asked D, smirking at the now fuming Jonathan before he and K turned to leave.

"So that's the end of that." stated D as they walked along.

"No D. Something tells me that this is only beginning."

"Hey! What about me!?" came the voice of McDuggin as he ran to catch up with the agents.

"Excuse me?" asked K. While handling the situation with the Kents, he had completely forgotten about the weasely farmer.

"What about all the things owed to me!?" roared McDuggin, "My land! My crops! I'm the one who found the damn thing! This whole thing has been a catastrophe for me! And yet you two haven't done a damn thing but interrogate me and swoon over the Kents! What gives!?

"Oh! I'm sorry Mr. McDuggin, it completely slipped my mind." said K as he reached into his pocket, while D donned his sunglasses. Retracting his hand, K produced a silver cylinder the size of a pen. Flipping a switch, it extended, revealing a small red light pointed towards McDuggin.

"What is that?" asked McDuggin.

"A gift from some friends from out of town. It's called a Neuralizer. You see, it emits a pulse that affects the neural pathways of the brain, most importantly the ones dealing with memory. Now Mr. McDuggin, if you will just look at the light, everything will be explained to you."

McDuggin leaned closer to the Neuralizer, eyes wide. Then he glanced back up at K and with a puzzled look on his face, asked, "Who are you?"

"I am just a figment of you're imagination." Replied K. Then there was a flash of red light and McDuggin's mind went blank.

A/N: Yeah! Third Chapter! Glad to get this one out of the way. Bonus points to those who figure out where D and K's fake names came from. Please review!


	4. From the Same Cloth

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am poor. Please don't sue

Chapter 4: From the Same Cloth

_Hush child,_

_The darkness will rise from the deep,_

_And carry you down into sleep._

-Mordred's Lullaby, Heather Dale

_1994, some where in Scotland_

The rain was coming down hard upon the hilly countryside known to many as the Highlands. A lone man stood at the base of one of the hills, staring up at the grey sky. He hated the rain. It reminded him of what he was. What he wished he wasn't.

Sighing, the man lowered his head back to earth, away from the unforgiving rain. Though in this case, the word man should be used in the vaguest of terms. The 'man' stood 7 feet tall with broad shoulders and a powerful build. His skin was crimson in color and was decorated with strange tattoos displaying mysterious symbols and designs. He wore a brown trench coat, though no undershirt thus displaying his chest. The crest of his organization, a hand grasping a lightning bolt, was sewn onto the sleeve of his coat. He also wore black leather pants and black combat boots. A skinny, spaded tail trailed from under the end of his coat. His head was bald on the top, but stringy black hair grew along its side, which was pulled into a bun at the base of his skull. Long black sideburns grew down his cheeks. Two circular growths grew from the top of his head. Those who knew him knew that they were actually the bases of horns that he shaved daily to keep short. The strangest trait about the man though, was undoubtedly his right hand. It was greatly oversized proportional to his left and appeared to be made out of stone. Strange designs (similar to the ones on his skin) ringed its base, near his elbow.

This man was Hellboy, a half-demon supernatural investigator. After being brought into this world for unknown purposes by the Nazi's, he had been taken in by the kindly Professor Buttenholm, who raised him like his own son. When he had fully matured, (which happened in an incredibly short time, despite the fact that he ages in reverse dog-years) he was chosen to lead a S.H.E.I.L.D-sponsored paranormal investigation agency called the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, or B.P.R.D for short. The Bureau was tasked with defending civilians from supernatural threats, all the while remaining out of the public eye. Indeed, Hellboy's entire existence was seen as an urban myth by the general public.

Slowly, Hellboy raised his head and looked at his assigned target. Upon the hill before him sat an old Scottish castle. It was built out of rough hewn stones and appeared to be at five stories tall in most places, with decrepit looking towers jutting up at certain spots for added height. The castle took up the entire hilltop and was surrounded by a twenty foot tall wall circling it albeit with many gaping holes in it.

Hellboy and his team had been called to investigate claims of black magic and demon worshiping at the castle. From what he learned, the castle had once belonged to a Scottish thane who was rumored to have made a deal with the Devil for military power. The thane went on to become king of Scotland, before he was killed in an uprising of the other thanes. To a paranormal expert like Hellboy this all added up to a possible dimensional rift, a place where the walls of reality between to realms (such as Hell and Earth) were weak and a portal between the two could be opened. Whoever was here was at best a bunch of dark minded teenagers drawn to a place of dark legend, or at worst…well, it was best not to dwell upon that.

"So, Blue," Hellboy spoke in a deep voice without turning from the castle, "what do you think we've got here?"

"I sense dark power in this place," replied a light, articulate voice from behind Hellboy "Some of it is weak, possible residual from the castles dark past, but the rest is more recent and much more powerful. It feels very ancient…and very angry."

Hellboy turned to address the voice. Before him was what appeared to be a man crossed with some kind of fish. His skin was slick and scaly, colored sky blue in some places and black in others. His hands and feet had elongated appendages with webbing running between them. He had a bald head along with fish-like lips and large, bulbous eyes that were completely colored black. Gills grew along the side of his neck. He wore a sleeveless bodysuit made of black spandex. He had a swimmers physique and appeared tall, though it was hard to tell because he sat in a crouched stance.

This was Abraham "Abe" Sapien. Abe was a long time member of the B.P.R.D, and had a past almost as mysterious as Hellboy himself. Abe had been discovered in a water tube in the basement of an abandoned, Manhattan hospital completely unaware of how he had got there. The only clue to his identity had been a scrap of paper attached to the tube, reading _Icthyo_ _sapien _and dated April 14 1865, the date of President Lincoln's assassination, (hence his name). As his appearance suggested, Abe was an extremely capable swimmer who could survive indefinitely underwater. At the same time, Abe was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant as well as possessing a unique frontal lobe, which allowed him to read others minds as well as sense the auras surrounding a being, human or otherwise.

"Well that's great," Hellboy replied before turning to look over his shoulder and saying, "What do you think John, Death Eaters?"

"Nah, HB, the Dark Lord isn't too interested in stuff like this. Old Voldemort's to full of himself to be going around and asking favors from Hell." Spoke a voice with a British accent to Hellboy's side. There stood a man of average build, around twenty years of age. He had short, spiky blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a brown trench coat with a B.P.R.D insignia on the sleeve over a white, button-up shirt and black pants. A black tie hung loosely from around his neck. He held a cigarette in one of his hands, which stayed lit despite the rain.

This man was John Constantine. John was a wizard, being born a Homo Magi, a race of humans naturally inclined to magic. Homo Magi used to coexist with the rest of humanity until the Dark Ages, when religious fanatics hunted them down because of their 'unholy powers'. As such, Homo Magi withdrew from the rest of the world, keeping their powers hidden and allowing the knowledge of their very existence to fade into myth and legend. Homo Magi themselves were descended from the species Homo Mermanus, an even older and more reclusive offshoot of Homo Sapiens.

John discovered his magic at the beginning of adolescents, though not in the same way most wizard children do. John's mother had died while giving birth to him and John's father blamed him for it. An abusive drunk, he tormented his son his entire life. Around ten years of age John's anger and resentment finally reached the boiling point and as he lashed out at his father, his mystical powers awoke for the first time, taking the form of a powerful curse that caused John's father to wither away over the proceeding days. Horrified at what he had done, John fled his home, never to return. The memory of the event continues to haunt him to this day.

Eventually his past caught up with him. While staying at a London orphanage, he received a letter (delivered by an owl no less), to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The letter claimed that they could teach him to control his strengthening magical powers. So a few days after the letter had arrived, John packed up his things and was off to his new life. He attended the school for all seven years before graduating a fully trained wizard. Afterwards, he went on to become an Auror, or dark wizard hunter, for the Ministry of Magic, the secret British wizard government.

It was on one of his missions that he met Hellboy who saved his life and that of his partner over the course of the adventure. When it was all over, Hellboy asked if the two magicians wished to join the B.P.R.D. John had become cynical towards the Ministry for its lack of action against the Dark Lord Voldermort, a powerful dark wizard who, along with his cabal of evil wizards and witches known as the Death Eaters, was slowly taking over Britain. As such, both John and his partner agreed, believing that they could do more good as part of a Muggle, or non-magic folk, organization than as part of the Ministry. That had been three years ago, during which the B.P.R.D, alongside a non-Ministry organization known as the Order of the Phoenix, had battled Voldemort to a standstill, along with combating numerous other mystical threats that the Ministry was too busy, or more often than not, unwilling to deal with. As such, John had lost almost all faith in the Ministry and its ability to rule effectively.

It wasn't just the Ministry that John had lost faith in. During his time as both an Auror and an agent of the B.P.R.D, John had lost all faith in God. Now, this is not to say he didn't believe in His existence, John had seen enough stuck-up angels and had fought enough demons to know that there was a Heaven and a Hell. But, John had traveled the world many times and had lived a hard life. He had seen and fought some of the world's greatest evils. And all the while, God was no where to be seen, offering no aid. John was convinced that God was more focused on his own agenda then the well being of his own creation, of the people He claimed to love so much. People say God works in mysterious ways. John said God didn't work at all, so we might as well do it ourselves.

"So what does that mean?" asked a feminine voice, "Is this some kind of demonic cult then?" The voice belonged to a woman, appearing to be in her late teens. She was of a slim build, with sleek, shoulder-length, black hair, green eyes and pale skin. She wore a dark green jacket with a B.P.R.D insignia on the sleeve and dark green pants, made of weather resistant material. Beneath the jacket, she wore a black t-shirt and combat boots on her feet.

The woman was Zatanna Zatar, a witch belonging to a high-ranking wizard family. Zatanna had also been taught magic at Hogworts and became an Auror after graduation. She had been assigned to be John Constantine's partner. Zatanna was born to a prominent family who could trace their lineage through generations of 'pure-blooded' wizards. John, on the other hand, had two Muggle parents, his magic coming from long diluted and dormant Homo Magi genes activating by chance, meaning he belonged to a sub-race of wizards known by some (usually pure-blooded bigots) by the derogatory term "Mudblood". As such, John held a relatively low standing in the Wizard hierarchy, being snubbed by the more prominent families. Despite this though the two had become close friends, willing to lay down their lives for each other. There were even some (Hellboy most prominently) that believed that she held deeper feelings than mere friendship for the scruffy wizard, though she vehemently denied these claims.

Social standing wasn't the only thing that belonging to a prestigious family brought Zatanna. A powerful wizard in her own right, Zatanna also commanded a powerful form of magic known only to the Zatar family. By speaking backwards, she could manipulate the world around her with her family's magic. Though it requires no wand (the usual focus point of a wizards magic) and is more flexible than normal magic, it puts a strain on her body, requiring more energy to cast the spell.

"You're probably right Zee." replied Hellboy, before turning to address another member of the group, "You got any guesses Jay?"

The man who Hellboy was addressing was a man of about twenty, of average build, with green eyes and short black hair. He wore a similar jacket and pants to Zatanna's, as well as black combat boots.

This man was Jason Blood. Though Jason appeared to be in his twenties, he actually had lived for over a millennia. He had once lived in the ancient kingdom of Camelot; a knight of King Arthur's legendary Round Table. But sadly, he was seduced by the enchantress Morgan le Fay, and during her invasion of the kingdom, he opened the gate for her, dooming them all. It only then became apparent that the enchantress had used him and had no love for him at all. She struck Blood down, leaving him to die a slow, painful death. It was then however, that Jason was visited by a vision of the great wizard Merlin. The wizard judged that le Fay had not punished Jason enough, so calling upon a powerful and ancient curse, Merlin called forth the demon Etrigan, who Merlin had captured decades earlier and bound him to Jason's soul, cursing the fallen knight to carry both the demon and his guilt for all eternity.

So Jason wandered through the centuries, alone and consumed by guilt. Sometimes he fought evil, trying to rid himself of the stain that his demon-bound soul represented. Other times he would spend decades in isolation and remorse. Eventually, his wandering brought him into contact with Hellboy, who Blood saw as a kindred spirit. He soon joined the B.P.R.D, to fight evil alongside those he saw as fellow lost souls.

Jason, a skilled hand-to-hand and sword fighter in his own right, was at his best while in the form of Etrigan. In demon form, he possessed strength comparable to Hellboy's, as well as skills in the magical arts, though it differed slightly from the form commanded by Constantine and Zatanna. His most potent weapon however, was undoubtedly the ability to breathe hellfire. Hellfire, as its name suggested, was the fire that burned within the pits of Hell. It was stronger than normal and even most magically enhanced fire, as well as having the unique ability to burn the soul as much as it did the body.

"Well, if I am correct," began Jason in a refined tone, "the demon who was originally summoned to this castle was disposed of a few centuries ago. So, your guess is as good as mine, my friend."

"Well it doesn't do us any good standing here in the rain, HB." said a quite feminine voice from the reaming person on the hill. She was a skinny woman in her twenties. She had pale skin with long black hair and dark eyes. She wore a uniform similar to Zatanna's as well as a black ski cap.

The woman was Liz Sherman, the final member of Hellboy's team. Liz was a pyrokenetic, someone who could create fire with their mind. Liz's abilities were incredibly powerful, but she did not have good control of them. If she became angered or frightened, they could rage out of control and cause a giant, blue, fire storm to explode from her body. This had first happened during her twelfth birthday, where she destroyed multiple city blocks and killed dozens. The traumatic incident left her scared for life. Eventually, she was brought to the B.P.R.D. to learn to control her powers. Now she could effectively control her powers while in a calmed or even slightly agitated state. Also, when she came to the Bureau, she met Hellboy, who became smitten with her. It was hard to judge if Liz returned his feeling, as she neither accepted nor refused his advances, though to most it seemed one-sided.

"Liz is right." Constantine said. "We can't stand here all day in the rain."

Hellboy nodded. "All right." He said, turning towards the castle, "We'd better go in and say hi."

The building was eerily quiet, as the team made their way through one of the castle's hallways. They had checked a few rooms but had so far found nothing. Most of the building was rundown, the rooms holding nothing more than dust and stray pieces of wood, while the old stones barely kept out the poring rain. Suddenly, Abe held up his hand, calling for the group to halt. He slowly lowered his hand and pointed around a corner just ahead of the team. They slowly inched towards it, Abe in the lead. As they reached, Abe slowly peeked his head around the corner. At the end of a short hall was a large wooden door, worn with age. It was slightly ajar, revealing a light within. A number of low voices could be heard, but Abe was unable to hear what was being said.

Abe motioned for the group to follow him and rounded the corner, taking care to make no sound. As he approached the door, the voices became more audible and Abe could tell they were chanting, but in a language he didn't comprehend. When he reached the door, Abe carefully peeked through the crack. The door led to a large room with a domed ceiling. A large group of people were crouched in a circle around a raised platform. Each person wore a blood red robe with the hood turned up, obscuring their features. On the platform was an altar, where a woman lay. She was pregnant and apparently in the throes of labor, as her shrill cries carried over the chanting cultists and her dark hair stuck to her sweaty scalp. The woman was surrounded by four figures, one on each side, each cloaked in red robes. The figure by her feet was apparently the leader, as he would gesture with his hands towards the assembled group while leading the chant. Suddenly, the group chant stopped just as the woman let out a shrill scream of pain…which was promptly followed by the wail of a baby. The leader bent over and the raised back up, lifting the babe, bundled in a red cloak, above his head.

Suddenly, the baby began to glow with an eerie crimson light. The light grew in intensity until Abe was forced to shield his eyes from the blinding glow. The leader's chants grew louder and louder to the point where he was shouting. Then his chanting stopped and there was a loud boom as the energy exploded outward, covering the cultists in its infernal glow. Abe held up his hands to shield himself as the blast spread through the door. As it passed over him, his skin felt as though it was on fire while his mind was filled with thoughts of hate and violence.

Then just as suddenly as it had happened, the wave of energy passed. Abe slowly opened his eyes and examined his surroundings. The energy seemed to have had no effect on the surrounding stone work. Examining himself, he saw he was physically unscathed, though he still felt the smoldering hatred of some evil entity. He then turned to examine his friends. He saw both Zatanna and John trying to silently put out the smoldering remnants of their respective jackets. Apparently, the energy had caused a combustive reaction when it met with their own magical energies, causing their jackets to spontaneously combust. Turning to look at Liz, he silently gasped and scurried over to her.

Blue flames were slowly crawling up Liz's sleeves, a telltale sign that she was loosing control of her powers, which would lead to a devastating explosion unless stopped. The angry psychic energy accompanying the blast must have caused her powers to go out of control. Abe knelt down and placed his hands on her shoulders, causing her head to snap up to look at him. Gazing into her eyes, Abe sent calming emotions to her mind, attempting to aid her to regain control. Slowly, the fire retreated down her arms as she regained control. Satisfied, Abe turned his attention to the remaining members of the team. What he saw shook him to the bone.

Jason was on the ground, clutching his head. The energy wave had called up Etrigan against his will and Jason was fighting to gain control. His eyes were glowing red and his teeth had become razor sharp. However, Jason was slowly regaining control, his glowing eyes diminishing and his breaths becoming steadier. Hellboy however, was a different story. He appeared to be in control of his body, merely staring at himself quizzically. His tattoos had begun to glow red, and thin streams of smoke were emerging from his nostrils. His horns had re-grown, now curving a foot above his head. A small halo of flame floated above his head, between his horns. Finally, a new marking had appeared on his head, resembling a crude S. Then just as suddenly as they appeared, the halo and smoke disappeared and his tattoo's stopped glowing; though his horns remained as they were. Reaching up, he felt the newly grown horns. His face contorted in anger as he gripped the horns and broke them of in one swift motion.

Returning his attention to the ceremony room, Abe saw to his horror that all the cultists where staring intently at the door to the hallway. Their faces were now illuminated by glowing red marks identical to the one on Hellboy's forehead. Suddenly, the doors were flung open. A man stood in the door way, a red cloak hanging over his sleek frame. He wore a blue body suit with metal armor on his chest, lower arms and lower legs, along with combat boots. His face was concealed by a cross between a helmet and a gas mask. The red mark was burned on the helmets forehead and three long cuts ran diagonally across its face.

Behind the man, one of the four men on the platform lowered his hood and turned towards the group. He had a pasty white face and white hair. He had very defined features, pupil-less, blood red eyes and, from what Abe could see, enlarged canines. His face was contorted into a look of rage.

"You dare desecrate the Church of Blood!?!!" he roared, "Kroenen! Destroy them!"

At the command, the masked man threw off his robe and simultaneously drew a pair of tonfana, or shoulder blades from his belt. He charged forward whirling the blades as he ran. Being the only one still on his feet, Abe sprung forward to meet him. Kroenen swung his blade in a pair of arcs in front of him, which Abe avoided by somersaulting to Kroenen's side. As he finished the tumble, he rolled to his feet, leapt up and threw a roundhouse kick towards Kroenen's head. Kroenen lifted his arm to block, catching Abe's foot on his upper arm. Shifting his weight before Kroenen could counterattack; he threw a kick at Kroenen with his other foot, supporting his weight by throwing his hands above his head, positioned in a handstand with his front facing away from Kroenen. But the masked man effortlessly blocked this kick as well. Bending his arms, Abe performed a short hop, twisting his body in a 180 while pulling his legs away from Kroenen. Landing still supported on his hands and now facing the floor, Abe chambered his legs into a kick, resembling a frog. Abe kicked out legs simultaneously, catching Kroenen off-guard. The donkey-like kick connected and sent Kroenen flying through the air. He landed hard on the ground, tumbling a few times before coming to a halt at the feet of the gathered cultists. Abe rose back to his feet, facing away from the cultist while glaring at them from over his shoulder.

The pale man was infuriated. He clenched his fist in rage and made a move to approach the group, but was halted by a firm hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw the man who had led the ceremony. His face was still shadowed by his hood and the wailing infant was still in his arms.

"Don't be too hasty Brother Blood," said the man, pointing at the group of intruders, "It appears that we have an honored guest joining us for today's ceremonies."

Looking where the man was pointing, his eyes widened in surprise when they fell upon Hellboy. A smile slowly crept across his face.

"The Right Hand of Doom." he said.

"Indeed," replied the leader.

"Well then, it appears that we have been given the chance to reclaim what was lost." he mumbled, before turning to address the cultists. "My brothers! These intruders have unwittingly brought us a great gift. Reclaim it for the Church of Blood…and kill those who bring it before us."

"Well" said John, "that can't be good."

"You think?" replied Hellboy sarcastically.

The cultists turned towards the team, removing their hoods, revealing pale faces, red eyes and enlarged canines. They slowly approached the team, some drawing weapons while others clutched their hands into fists.

"Vampires," stated Abe.

"Of course." replied John, "Wouldn't want it to be too easy, know would we?"

He reached into his jacket and drew an object from one of two holsters on his belt. It appeared to be a shotgun, except the barrel ended in a cross. This was John's personal weapon, a shotgun modified to fight evil creatures. The gun had been specially constructed, the barrel made from the iron of church bells and washed in holy oil. The handle was constructed from white oak, the cross being made of silver and blessed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In addition, John had carved symbols both holy and arcane down the barrel in order to further strengthen the gun. Its ammo was also specially designed. Carved into the gun's handle was the name "Godsmack".

Following suit, Hellboy reached for his belt and drew from it what appeared to be an oversized six-shooter. The gun was Hellboy's weapon of choice, a gun modified similarly to John's Godsmack. The metal was made from church bells and the handle from white oak as well as a fragment of the True Cross. It shot bullets similar to Godsmack's. Along its side was carved the name "Samaritan".

Hellboy turned to Jason, a wry smile on his face. "Come on Blood, are you going to join in or not?"

"Well," replied Jason, smiling back, "I can't let you guys have all the fun now can I?"

Suddenly, Jason lowered his head and his expression became solemn. A dark energy seemed to surround him and his eyes took on a reddish glow. Then he began to chant.

"_Change, change the form of man.  
Free the prince forever damned.  
Free the might from fleshy mire.  
Boil the blood in heart of fire.  
Gone, gone the form of man,  
Rise the demon Etrigan!"_

There was a bright flash and Jason appeared to be engulfed in flame. His body could be seen only as a shadow through the fire. Suddenly, his form began to change. His form became stouter and more muscular. His hair retreated into his head while his ears increased in size. A long trailing shadow grew out of his back. Then, just as suddenly as they had begun, the flames stopped. But in their place was not Jason Blood. Instead there stood a stout, muscular man. He had scaly yellow skin, a bald head and pupil-less red eyes. His teeth and fingers were sharp fangs and claws and his large ears resembled bat wings. He wore a red jumpsuit with silver rings around his arms and no leggings as well as blue cape secured to his shoulders. The vampires were stunned at his transformation and halted there advance.

Hellboy's smile grew, "Now it's a party."

"_I see no need for celebration, until we send these monsters to their damnation" _replied Etrigan.

"Couldn't have said it better myself. Let's go!"

The team charged, catching the still stunned vampires off guard. Hellboy led the way, backhanding the first vampire with his stone hand, literally taking its head off, the rest of its body bursting into a cloud of dust. At the same time he shot another vampire in the chest with the Samaritan, the blast being so powerful that the bullet flew through the vampire's chest and into the one behind it, slaying them both. One vampire leapt at Hellboy, who raised his stone hand to block. The vampire hit the hand full on and was knocked on the flat of its back. As the vampire tried to stand back up, Hellboy brought his stone fist onto its chest and punched a hole through, destroying it instantly. Rising back up, Hellboy threw his arm up above his head, catching a vampire in the chin and sent it flying into and then through, the ceiling. It didn't come back down. Hellboy lowered his hand before swinging it in an arc in front of him, sending a group of vamps flying backward. A vampire ducked under the flying bodies and charged at Hellboy with teeth bared. Seeing it, Hellboy merely held out his stone fist and grabbed the vampires face. The undead creature kicked and scratched at Hellboy who effortlessly lifted it off the ground. Before he could deal with the vampire, three more charged him. Hellboy raised the Samaritain, firing off three shots. Two bullets hit home, the vampires disintegrating instantly, but the third shot flew wide and the vampire kept coming. Growling, Hellboy glanced at the vampire in his hand, then to the one charging him, and then back again, before crushing its head in his hand, turning him to dust. The vampire leaped through the remains of its fallen comrade only to be caught by Hellboy's free hand, which raised the Samaritan up to its chest and pulled the trigger, destroying it instantly, before he charged at the remaining vamps.

Abe charged at a group of vampires before leaping at them feet first. He hit one in the chest, crushing its heart and turning it to dust. Rolling on the ground as he landed, he came to a stop in the middle of the group. Placing his hands on the ground, he switched into a handstand, stretching his legs out to his sides. Twisting his arms, Abe began to spin about, hitting a number of them with his outstretched legs. Abe finished his spin and flipped himself into a crouch, in time to see a vampire charging him with a dagger raised to strike. Abe caught the vamp's arm as it struck, before wrenching it to the side, causing the dagger to fly into the air. Abe grabbed the dagger while it was in midair, while twisting the vampires arm again, locking it behind its back and holding it up to his body. Abe held the vamp in place while he drove the knife into its chest, turning it to dust. Another vamp swung at Abe but he ducked below its blow and drove into its chest. A vamp leaped at Abe from his side, but he grabbed its outstretched arm and swung it over his shoulder, slamming it into the ground before stabbing it in the chest. Flipping the blade in his hand as he stood up, he turned to a lone vamp and threw the knife, nailing it in the chest. Abe surveyed the area around him before turning and charging another group of vamps.

Liz's arms had become engulfed in blue flames as she battled a group of vampires. Forming a fireball in each hand she threw one at one of the vamps, hitting it in the chest and destroying it, before spinning and stricking one behind her. Stretching her arms out and pointing them in opposite directions, she closed her eyes in concentration, gathering fire in each of her hands. Then in one smooth motion, she twisted her body and spun on one foot. As she did flames shot out of her hands, creating a ring of fire as she spun around. The flames struck the vampires surrounding her, destroying them. As she halted her spin, a vamp charged her, hoping to catch her off guard. Seeing it, she blocked its attack and drove her hand, open palmed into its chest. Seconds later, a tongue of flame shot through the vamp's chest, incinerating it. Turning to face a group of vampires, she gathered a ball of fire in her hand and brought it up to her face. Taking a deep breath, she blew on the fireball, causing it to break into small missiles of fire that shot off at the vampires. As they impacted the ground and the vampires, they caused small explosions. When the smoke cleared, all that was left was dust.

John danced around the room, blasting the vampires with Godsmack when they got to close. Three vamps attacked John, charging at him from different angles. John quickly fired to shots at the two coming at his sides, destroying them with well placed shots. The third one was too close however, but before it could attack John, he booted it in the chest, causing it to fly back through the air. As it did, John shot at it, destroying it before it hit the ground. A vamp attempted to attack him from behind, but John turned around and caught it on his shotgun, the vamp's savage face only inches from his own. Sadly, the vamp's inhuman strength was greater than his own and the creature threw him to the ground, Godsmack sliding from his grasp. Reaching for his belt, he grabbed the weapon in his second holster. Drawn, the weapon resembled a rifle of similar design to Godsmack, though with no cross at the end. On its side was carved the name St. George. Pointing it at the vamp, he pulled the trigger, causing a plume of crimson flame to shoot out, incinerating the vampire almost instantaneously. Standing up, he reached into his pocket and withdrew what appeared to be a simple stick. As he did two vampires rushed him. Moving quickly, he pointed the stick at his discarded gun before yelling, "_Accio Godsmack!_" As if by command, the gun suddenly flew towards John. Catching it with his wand hand, he turned with the gun's momentum, pointing Godsmack at one of the charging undead while pointing St. George at the other. Pulling their triggers simultaneously, he destroyed both undead as they were about to reach him. Taking advantage of the momentary peace, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a cigarette, then placed it into his mouth and lit it with the still burning tip of St. George before continuing with the fight.

Meanwhile, Zatanna was battling her own group of vampires. One vampire charged her, but she flicked her wand at it, causing a ball of clear energy to shoot out and send it flying across the room. Turning, she swung her wand in an arc, causing motes of light to form along the arc. She flicked it again, causing the motes to become pointed in shape, before saying, "_Sreggad fo tghil, ylf dna yortsed ym seimene_!" At her command, the light daggers, took of through the air, scattering in different directions before embedding themselves in a group of vampires. Another group of vampires tried to surround her, but she pointed her wand at the ground before chanting, "_Dnuorg kcatta!_ Suddenly, spikes of stone shot out of the floor, impaling many of the vampires; destroying them. One vampire was crawling on the ceiling and attempted to jump down upon her. Noticing it from the corner of her eye, Zatanna quickly spun to point her wand at it while shouting, "_Levi Corpus!_" The vamp stopped abruptly in midair before flipping upside down. Still pointing her wand at it, she shouted "_Incendio!_" causing flames to shoot from her wand and light the vamp on fire. As it convulsed in agony, Zatanna saw a group of vamps descending on her. She pointed her wand at the flaming vamp and shouted "_Confringo!_" quickly followed by "_Dnuorg dnefed!_" The vamp exploded violently, knocking the attacking vampires off their feet. As the smoke cleared a dome of earth could be seen where Zatanna was standing moments before. The dome cracked and collapsed, revealing Zatanna crouched inside. She brushed the dirt off her shirt before continuing the fight.

Etrigan had wandered into the middle of the group of vampires and was systematically destroying anything that moved. Grabbing one vampire by the shoulders, he began to swing him around in a circular motion, knocking back any who were too close, before he hurled the undead into a small group of vamps, sending them tumbling to the ground. Tilting his head back, Etrigan took a deep breath before exhaling a large blast of red and black flame, which instantly incinerated a few dozen vampires. As the vampires attempted to regroup, Etrigan punched one through the chest while decapitating a second with a powerful backhand. As a follow through to the backhand, he crouched down and pounded the floor, causing some of the vampire to be thrown into the air. Raising his hands above his head, he chanted "_Winds around me that swish and swirl, I command thee now to churn and whirl!_" Suddenly, the winds began to spin in a vortex around Etrigan, creating a powerful whirlwind. The vampires that were knocked into the air were quickly sucked into the swirling vortex and were battered upon the ground and each other. Slamming his hands against the floor, Etrigan chanted again. "_Darkest Hell, my situation grows dire, I beg you to destroy my foes in your unholy fire!_" A series of cracks formed from where his hands hit the floor. The ground began to shake, and the cracks glowed eerily. Suddenly, the room was rocked as a ring of red and black fire exploded from the ground around Etrigan. Many vampires were destroyed by the explosion and the resulting vortex of flame when the hellfire was drawn into the still active whirlwind. The whirlwind suddenly ceased, revealing Etrigan in the center of a ring of smoke and ash. Surveying the room, he saw that there were only a few vampires left. Raising his right hand above his head and began a third incantation. "_Woe to thee with hearts so black, for you will not survive my crushing attack!_" As he finished, he snapped his hand into a fist. The remaining vampires cried out in pain, clutching their chests, before dissolving into dust.

As the last vampire was destroyed, the team quickly regrouped, facing the raised platform where the five men still stood. Brother Blood was visibly seething, glaring daggers at the ones who had destroyed so many of his cultists.

"May we deal with them now Grigori!?!" he shouted at the man holding the babe. The man named Grigori nodded, before turning to Kroenen. "Kroenen, you deal with the blue one. I expect you to redeem your earlier embarrassment." The masked man merely nodded in reply. Turning to the cloaked man on his left he continued. "Blackheart, deal with Etrigan and the Seed. Do what you wish with Merlin's vessel, but if you kill the Seed, I, to say nothing of your father or even more importantly, Lord Scath, will be very irritated." Blackheart simply gave an annoyed grunt in response. Grigori then turned to the man on his right and said "Mordo, you will deal with the witch. Lord Dormammu

holds you in high regard, don't disappoint." Mordo nodded in reply. Returning his gaze to Blood, Grigori said, "Brother, I'll leave the wizard in your hands. I will deal with the fire starter personally." Blood grinned, before nodding in response. Turning to face the team, Grigori spoke, "Well then gentlemen…go to work!"

The team was caught of guard when four of the men sprung into action. One disappeared before suddenly reappearing between Hellboy and Etrigan, arms raised and hands curled into fists. He brought the down swiftly on their heads, sending them crashing through the floor into the level below, before jumping in after them. Brother Blood performed a similar feat, appearing in front of John before punching him across the room and back through the door the team had come in from. Another disappeared into a portal of dark energy. Moments later, Zatanna was pulled into one when it formed beneath her feet. Kroenen charged Abe, forcing him to retreat. As they approached one of the walls, Kroenen landed a solid kick that sent Abe crashing through a nearby door and onto a spiraling stone staircase behind it, which Kroenen proceeded to drive him up with his unrelenting assault. Before she knew what had happened, Liz found herself alone with the mysterious leader of the cult. Turning her attention to him she saw him placing the child in the hands of its barely conscious mother. He then turned to her and began descending from the platform towards her.

"Hello Ms. Sherman," said Grigori as he walked down the short flight of stairs from the platform, "It is good to finally meet you."

"Who are you!?" Liz demanded, hands clenched at her side and covered in flame, "And what do you want!?"

The hooded man chuckled, "Quite the inquisitive one aren't you? I suppose I'll indulge you," he reached up and grasped his hood before lowering it, revealing his hood. He appeared to be in his late thirties, with a bald head and a goatee. He had dark eyes and the same red S shape burned in his forehead as well. "My name is Grigori Rasputin and as for what I want, well I believe you will find that out soon enough."

The storm continued to rage outside, relentlessly pounding the old castle. Suddenly a portal of black energy appeared on the northern most tower. Seconds after it was opened, a figure was forcibly ejected from it, while another walked steadily out a moment later. Zatanna grunted as she hit the stonework, rolling a few feet before coming to a stop. The man merely chuckled darkly before removing his hood. He looked middle aged, with short black hair, dark eyes and a goatee. Beneath his robe he wore a dark green body suit with an arcane design on the front in light green.

Zatanna slowly rose to her feet, catching her breath. "Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo I presume?" she asked the man.

He chuckled again, before taking a dramatic bow. "Indeed I am, but I would expect no less from an Auror such as you, Zatanna Zatar."

"What's a dark wizard like you doing here?"

"Hmm, a bit pushy aren't you? I was merely attending a…social gathering with some associates of mine at the behest of my superior. In fact we were just celebrating a birth before you ruffians barged in and threw everything into chaos."

"Yeah right," she replied dryly, "Well whatever you and your friends are up to, we're not about to let you have that kid and use it for whatever sick purpose you guys have got cooked up."

"You Zatar's were always the parentally types weren't you? Tell me dear girl, how is your father of late?"

Zatanna didn't respond, but merely pointed her wand at the dark wizard, hate burning in her eyes.

"Oh my, I seem to have struck a nerve. Good." he stated, smiling sadistically before drawing his own wand.

The two stood motionless, staring each other down for a few moments. Suddenly they exploded in to action.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Zatanna yelled as a blast of translucent energy shot out of her wand.

"_Stupefy!_" Mordo shouted simutaneously, a red blast of light shooting out from his wand.

The blast met in midair, causing a bright flash and a small shockwave that caused the two combatants to stumble a bit. Recovering first, Zatanna pointed her wand and yelled, "_Incendio!_" causing a missile of flame to shoot out at Mordo. Holding out his wand, a cone of frigid air shot out of it, intercepting the missile and countering it. Drawing his wand back, the cone morphed into a ball of frigid energy, which he then flung at Zatanna. Along the way the energy took shape, forming an ice shard the size of a football aimed at her head. As it approached, Zatanna swung her wand up, causing a slash of white energy to intercept the ice shard, and cut it neatly in two, the halves passing harmlessly to her sides. Waving her wand above her head, an aura of frigid energy surrounded her, causing the rain droplets around her to stop falling and crystallize. She pointed her wand at Mordo, causing the frozen droplets to fly at him while taking the form of long, ice needles as they did. Mordo waved his wand in front of him, causing a wall of flame to spring up along the arc, lasting long enough to destroy the ice needles and leave a large cloud of smoke. Suddenly the smoke began to swirl around where Mordo stood, forming a dome. The dome of smoke began to shift, transforming into a dome of solid darkness, which sank into the floor, leaving no trace of Mordo. Looking around for the next attack, Zatanna held her wand at the ready and shifted her feet anxiously. All of sudden, a dark portal open beneath her, where a clawed hand made of pure darkness shot off, which Zatanna barely managed to dodge. More portals continued to open, forcing Zatanna to keep moving to avoid being caught. A hand shot out of a portal from behind her, grabbing her wand hand and twisting it, causing it to fly through the air, just as a head of pure darkness rose up in front of her, its mouth opened to reveal a fireball charging in its mouth. Moving quickly, Zatanna twisted in the shadows claw's grasp to grab her wand as it fell. Turning back, she pointed it at the head's mouth and shouting, "_Aguamenti!_" causing a jet of water to erupt from her wand and pour into the open mouth, extinguishing the fireball and destroying the head. Before she could catch her breath, the claw hurled her across the tower roof where she crashed to a halt with the towers battlements. Groaning, she rubbed the back of her head as Mordo reappeared a few feet away from another portal of darkness.

"How disappointing," he said crossing his arms and shaking his head, "I would have expected better from someone of the great Zatar family. Oh well," he shrugged his shoulders before pointing his wand at her; "I might as well put you out of your misery."

"_Avada Kadava!_" he shouted, causing a sickly green blast of energy to shoot out of his wand at her. Seconds before it connected though, she slammed her hand to the ground and shouted, "_Enots, dnefed!_" and a small wall of stone rose up in front of her, blocking the spell. Placing her hand against the wall and made to push it, while shouting, "_Llaw, egrahc!_" Extending her arm, the wall shot out, rushing along the ground straight at Mordo. Moments before it struck, he shouted "_Confringo!_" causing the wall to explode into a shower of stone.

Lowering his hand he had used to defend his face. Looking in her eyes, he saw her staring fiercely back, a fire in her eyes.

"That's more like it," he said mostly to himself.

Raising her hand above her head, she called out, "_Senots, esir dna ckatta!_" As she did, the stones that had made up the wall she attacked him with rose into the air and proceeded to hurl themselves at him. Mordo displayed amazing reflexes as he destroyed multiple stones with his magic as they flew at him from every direction. One got through his guard however, and he was struck across the face with it. This provided an oppurtunity for the remaining stones to strike him. Two caught him in the chest while one hit him in the back of the head and another in the stomach. As he bent over, another struck him in the knee causing him to fall into a kneeling position, allowing a low flying rock to smack him in the face, quickly followed by another from straight above, causing him to fall to the ground.

Groaning, he slowly pulled himself up to look at Zatanna. She currently had her hands above her head, where a large fireball floated. Yelling, "_Llaberif, yortsed!_" she brought her hands in front of her in a throwing motion, causing the fireball to fly at him with remarkable speeds. Raising his wand he yelled "_Aguamenti!_" and a jet of water shot out from the tip, countering the attack but leaving a large cloud of smoke. As the smoke rose, Mordo heard Zatanna call out, "_Ekoms, elpparg!_" As she did, the smoke suddenly wrapped itself around him, becoming solid and holding him motionless. "_Ekoms mrofsnart ot sniahc!_" she shouted, which caused the smoke to slodify, morphing into a numebr of heavy iron chains now wrapped around his body. "_Sniahc ot eht roolf!_" she commanded, causing the ends of the chains to shoot out and connect themselves with the stone floor, pulling Mordo down with them. As he struggled against his bonds, Zatanna cried out again, "_Sniahc, tcirtsnoc!_" At the command, the chains began to tighten around Mordo, attempting to squeeze the life out of him. Suddenly the chains erupted into a cloud of black smoke. When it cleared, Mordo was standing again, and in place of the chains, a large number of small posionous snakes. Holding out his arms, he shouted "_Oppugno_", which caused the snakes to leap off of him, flying through the air with fangs bared, straight at Zatanna.

Holding out her hand, she called out, "_Sekans, denibmoc dna evres em!_" The snakes burst into clouds of black smoke, which congregated to form a large black cloud. The coat wrapped itself around Zatanna's shoulders like a feather boa, before solidifying into a large black snake, with spines running down its back and glowing red eyes. Resting her hand on the base of the snakes head, she whispered to it, "_Htaerb eht gnitfihs tsim._" At her command, the snake reared up, before breathing out a cloud of white mist with a hiss. The mist continued to grow before it encompassed the entire tower.

Mordo, peered around, wary of an attack. Then he heard Zatanna call out "_Esira sroirraw fo eht gnitfihs tsim dna kcatta!_" After the incantation, Mordo could see vague humanoid shapes begin to form in the mist. One walked towards him, reaching to its side and drawing a mist sword from its side. Mordo barely had time to dodge when the mist figure swung at him, cutting him slightly on the arm. Looking up from his arm, he saw another warrior running at him with a spear. Raising his wand, he fired a Stunning spell at it, but it passed harmlessly through the figure, forcing him to dodge again. Two more warriors charged him, wielding a scythe and a war axe respectively. He managed to avoid them, but was tripped up when a third one lashed out with a mist whip, catching him in the leg. As he fell to the ground, another warrior charged him with a mace. Rolling to his feet, he avoided the crushing blow, but failed to see the warrior with a large hammer bearing down on him. The warrior took a mighty swing, catching Mordo in the chest and sending him flying through the air with enough force to send him over the edge of the tower.

Twisting in midair, Mordo reached out to the tower wall, clinging to it with magic and halting his fall. Looking up, he saw Zatanna peer over the edge and yell something he couldn't hear. Suddenly the section of wall he was clinging to became liquid and began pulling him in.

"ENOUGH!" yelled Mordo as his eyes and the mark on his head began to glow red. The liquid wall began to sizzle and glow red before it exploded violently, throwing Mordo out into open air. Closing his eyes in concentration, Mordo spoke an incantation causing his cloak to morph into a shape similar to a bat's wing before fusing itself to his back. Stretching out his arms, Mordo flew through the air back up to the top of the tower. Landing in a crouch, his cloak returned to its normal form, and a blast of fiery energy shot out from Mordo, burning away Zatanna's mist and snake. Zatanna slowly lowered her arms from defending her face to see Mordo standing before her, eyes and mark glowing while black and red flames surrounding his hands.

"We end this NOW!" he shouted, before bringing his hands together and shooting a stream of fire at her. Zatanna was just able to hold her arm horizontally in front of her while calling out, "_Retaw, dnefed!_" causing the rains to condense into a swirling disk of water that halted the fire, though just barely.

Mordo began to laugh maniacally, unaware of the popping sound from behind him. "Surprised that your demonic friend isn't the only one who can control hellfire, Zatanna!?! My master rewards well, as you can see! You can't hide behind that wall forever! When I break through, I'll-"

Mordo's rant was interrupted when he felt on a tapping on his shoulder. Turning he saw Zatanna there with a raised fist, her arm having become unnaturally muscular through the use of her magic, and burst her sleeve. She smiled sweetly at him before smashing her fist into his face, breaking his nose and sending him sprawling across the floor, unconscious.

"Knew you couldn't take a punch." she said as her arm returned to normal size. Looking around, she sighed before commenting, "Now, where the hell am I?"

Lighting flashed, illuminating a lone 50ft long hallway in a separate part of the castle through a large window at one of its end. Wooden doors dotted the wall along the hallway including a particularly large one opposite the window. Suits of armor flanked each of the doors, armed with medieval weaponry. Suddenly the door burst open as a lone figure was thrown in, followed by another who walked in calmly.

Abe grunted in pain as he lifted himself to his feet. He was breathing heavily and was covered in numerous cuts and bruises. Kroenen on the other hand, looked relatively unscathed as he resumed his fighting stance. He stared Abe down for a few moments before charging him, blades spinning in his hands. He swung at Abe with his left hand, but Abe blocked it by grabbing the forearm. However, Kroenen brought the end of the handle of his other blade into Abe's stomach, which he quickly followed by a knee to the face, sending him reeling back. Pressing his advantage, Kroenen took a flying leap at Abe, smashing the handle of his tofana into his face, causing him to fly back into a suit of arm, bringing it down with a large crash.

Rising back to his feet, Abe saw Kroenen charging him again. Looking to his feet where the broken suit of armor lay, he spied its weapon, a spear, lying near him. Slipping his foot under the weapon, he flipped it up into the air, grabbing it and lashing out with it just as Kroenen reached him. The sudden attack forced Kronen to leap to the side to avoid the spear. Rolling to his feet, he tried to strike Abe in the side, but he dodged the blade before striking the German in the side of the head with the blunt of the blade. As Kroenen reeled back, Abe struck at him with a flurry of stabs, forcing the assassin to retreat down the hall.

Abe stabbed at Kroenen's head but was blocked when Kroenen caught it between his two blades. With a swift motion, he cut the spear's head off before kicking Abe away. Abe stumbled a few feet away before coming to a stop. Holding the end up, he examined the broken end of the spear before returning his gaze to Kroenen. Without removing his gaze from the German, Abe began to spin the broken spear like a quarterstaff, displaying great skill before stoping with the staff pointed at Kroenen.

The two charged at each other, Kroenen dodging as Abe attempted to bring the staff down upon his head. This left Abe unguarded as Kroenen slashed at his chest with both blades. Dropping to his knees, Abe avoided the attack while striking Kroenen in the back of the knees with the staff. Kroenen tumbled to the ground while Abe pressed his attack. The German just barely had time to roll to his feet as Abe struck the ground where his head had been. Kroenen attempted to strike Abe in the head with the handle of his blade but Abe dodged at struck Kroenen in the back of the head with his staff, sending him stumbling towards the window at the end of the hall. Pressing the attack, Abe stabbed at Kroenen's head but the German ducked beneath it, and grabbing Abe by the arms and threw him into the window, cracking it. As Abe recovered, Kroenen sent a flying handle strike at him. Abe was able to dodge the attack, but not Kroenen himself, whose momentum sent both of them flying into the window, shattering it and sending the both into open space.

The two tumbled through the raging wind and rain before crashing onto the battlement of a wall 15ft below. Abe moaned as he rolled to his side, feeling his now cracked ribs. To his horror, he heard footsteps approaching him. He rolled to his side just in time to avoid Kroenen stabbing where his head had been. Painfully lifting himself to his feet, Abe found that he had injured his knee in the fall as well as got a better look at Kroenen. Despite his miraculous recovery time, the German was still worse for wear. Scratches dotted his body and mask, including one down his left arm, which revealed, to Abes horror, steel beneath his clothing instead of flesh. His right arm however, hung uselessly at his side. Kroenen twirled a blade with his still functional hand, prepared to strike.

Kroenen attacked Abe with a flurry of slashes, forcing the injured merman to dodge, having no strength to block. The assault continued to push Abe back to the battlements. Kroenen slowly approached Abe; blade raised and prepared to strike him down. Abe, his back to the wall, did the only thing he could think to do. As Kroenen struck, Abe grabbed his arm and, using his remaining strength, threw him over his shoulder, and off the wall into the darkness below. A few seconds later, a sickening crunch reached Abe's ears as a bolt of lightening illuminated Kroenen's crumpled form lying on the ground 40ft below.

Suddenly, hearing someone call his name from above, he turned and looked at the top of a nearby tower. At the top he could make out a figure that looked like Zatanna waving at him. Waving back, Abe turned to look back at Kroenen's corpse. To his horror though, another lightning bolt revealed that he had disappeared, sending a chill down Abe's spine.

A sudden pop from behind Abe caused him to whirl around, hands raised to fight the new threat. Instead he saw Zatanna standing their, her hands held up defensively and her eyes full of worry.

"Whoa! Abe it's me!" she said in a frightened tone.

"Forgive me, friend," Abe replied, lowering his hands, "My encounter with this 'Kroenen' has left me on edge."

"It's okay Blue, I was just worried about you. You alright?"

"I believe I injured my ribs and knee when we fell from the window," Abe replied, gesturing to the window above them.

"Ouch, that must have hurt." she said, grimacing.

"I will live."

"Well, that's good to hear. Now come on see if we can find the others. Here let me help you." she said, putting his arm over her shoulder to support his weight before heading off to find a way back inside.

John Constantine had seen better days. Hell, John had seen worse days, but that didn't mean he wanted to be here anymore. Rising slowly to his feet, he wiped blood from his busted lip while he looked at his attack through his left eye, his right eye being swollen up. Brother Blood walked slowly towards him, cracking his knuckles while smiling at John sadistically.

'Well…at least one of us is enjoying this,' John thought. Ever since he had thrown John out into the hall, Blood had decided to make the wizard's face his personal punching bag. Raising his arm, he held up Godsmack; which he had been keeping a death grip on since the beating began (he dropped St. George when he was ejected from the room) and aimed in at the vampire. As he fired multiple shots, Blood simply leaped out of the way, dodging each shot by jumping to the ceiling or wall and leaping away again.

Blood leaped in front of John, grabbing Godsmack, wrenching it from his grasp and tossing it aside before cracking him in the chin with a punch, sending him flying away. As he soared through the air, John's eyes widened when Blood, using his ungodly speed, appeared on the ceiling above him and shot out at him, striking John in the chest with his feet and slamming him into the ground before leaping away.

John slowly rose to his feet, hands on his knees, just in time to have Blood smash his knee into his face before he grabbed him by the collar and tossed him down the hall. As he flew through the air, John drew his wand from his pocket. Rolling to his feet as he landed, he pointed it at Blood, who was running at him. With a flick of his wrist, a blast of clear energy shot out of the tip and struck the off guard Blood in the chest, sending him spiraling through the air.

Blood landed a few yards away where he landed and skidded to a halt. John continued to shoot spells at Blood, who now more on guard, dodged the spells left and right, slowly closing in on him. As Blood, now on the ceiling leaped at John, he concentrated as he pointed his wand at the vampire. Just as Blood was about to tackle him, John yelled out "_Expecto Patronus!_" A bolt of light shot out of the tip and quickly took the form of a lion. The lion slammed into Blood, sending them both flying back into the ceiling, cracking it. The lion then grabbed Blood in its jaws before throwing him into the floor below and leaving a large crater, before winking out of existence.

John cautiously approached the edge of the crater, wand at the ready. Just a reached the edge, Blood's hand shot out of the crater, grasping John's wrist and twisting it, causing John to drop it. Looking at the vamp, John saw that he was injured in the attack, but his wounds were quickly healing. Blood drew his fist back and smashed it into John's gut, sending him flying away.

John rolled a couple of feet before coming to a halt, clutching his stomach in pain. He rose to his feet as the pain passed, looking to see Blood slowly walking towards him. John stared at him sternly before a smirk crawled across his features. Reaching into his pocket he drew a carton of cigarettes, though these weren't the usual Silk Cuts he smoked. Instead the carton had no markings on it while the cigarettes themselves had strange arcane markings covering them. Seeing John draw the cigarettes, Blood let out a small chuckle.

"So you've finally figured out there's no hope, huh? Having your last cigarette?" he asked in a mocking tone as he continued to approach.

"Yeah, something like that," John replied, as he placed one of the cigarettes in his mouth while he took out his lighter. As he lit the cigarette, the markings began to glow bright red. Putting the lighter away, John took a long drag from the cigarette. Removing it from his mouth, John gave Blood a large smile which caused the vampire to stop a few feet away, confusion written across his face. Seeing this John leaned back before exhaling, though, to Blood's surprise, instead of smoke, a large blast of crimson flame shot out of his mouth, engulfing Blood and blasting him through the air.

Blood rolled on the ground where he landed, desperately trying to put the flames out. As he did, John limped towards him, taping the ashes off the cigarette as he approached.

"What's the matter, Blood? Surprised?" John asked in a mock caring tone, "Yeah I suppose you would be, wouldn't you? I mean its not everyday I guy uses a cigarette to breath fire." Blood said nothing, having put out the fire, he now just lay there, his skin burnt black and smoking. John held the cigarette to get a better look at it, before turning back to Blood with a smirk.

"Dragonfire cigarettes," he said, "Isn't magic grand? Zee's the one who made them. 'If you're going to carry those things around with you everywhere, you might as well do something useful with them,' were her words if I remember correctly. That was actually my first time using them. I never thought they'd work. Thanks for proving me wrong. Oh, and when I say dragon fire, yes I mean dragon fire. As in 'giant lizard with a really bad attitude'-fire. That's why you're having trouble healing from it. You see dragon fire is laced with magical energy, meaning it burns a lot hotter than normal fire. What I'm trying to say is that those burns are going to sting for awhile. Well that covers about everything, any questions?" he asked Blood, crouching down to get closer. Blood's only response was to slowly curl his hand into a fist, before flipping the wizard off.

"Now that was just uncalled for." said John, holding his hand to his chest in mock hurt, "Well I see that I'm not wanted here. So I bid you ado, Brother Blood." At that John rose up before limping back the way they had come. A few feet away, however, he stopped and looked over his shoulder, smirking. "You know Blood, you really ought to lighten up." As he said that, he flicked the cigarette at Blood. It landed on his chest before it began to glow bright red. Seconds later, it exploded in a giant fireball, leaving a large crater in its wake. John's grin widened as he slowly limped down the hall, oblivious to the badly burnt hand that reached slowly out of the crater.

Hellboy groaned as he rose up on his hands and knees. Whoever this 'Blackheart' was, he sure hit hard. Hard enough to hit them through two stone floors. Looking to his side, he saw Etrigan holding his head and rising to his feet. Looking around he saw that they were in some sort of storage room, as he could see the remains of bags, barrels and shelves around the room, as well as a giant wine cask along one wall, but no sign of Blackheart.

"You okay buddy?" Hellboy asked Etrigan.

"_I will be fine, my friend, though I fear that this is not the end._" he replied.

"Yeah I'm with you, but where the hell did he-"

"Looking for me?" said a voice from behind him. Turning he saw Blackheart standing behind him with his hood down. He had deathly pale skin and black eyes. His hair was jet black and pulled back into a pony tail. He wore pitch black clothes beneath his robe.

"Oh crap," was all Hellboy could say before Blackheart's fist connected with his chest, sending him flying across the room. Etrigan sprung into action, sending a fist at Blackheart's head but it was stopped by some invisible force before he was flung away by the same force. Blackheart chuckled before walking towards were Hellboy had landed.

Hellboy rose to his feet with a grunt, only to find Blackheart standing directly in front of him.

"Hello" he said, still grinning. With a roar Hellboy threw a punch at him with his stone hand, but Blackheart caught it effortlessly with one hand while wagging a finger at Hellboy.

"Now that's not very nice," he said before bringing his finger up to Hellboy's head and flicking him in between the head, an action that sent him flying into and then through a nearby wall.

Blackheart laughed out loud as he stepped through the hole he just made. "This is the great 'Seed of Destruction' I've heard about? Pathetic." he said as he walked up to where Hellboy lay. Reaching down, he grabbed Hellboy by his jacket and with one hand effortlessly lifted him into the air. "If only your father could see you now, he'd be so disappointed."

"You leave my father out of this." Hellboy wheezed.

"Now why would-oh wait, you think I'm talking about that old man don't you? You idiot, I'm talking about your real father."

"M-My real father?"

"Your really don't know do you? Well I guess I'll tell you, though you're an even bigger idiot than I thought. Your father is-" But Blackheart was interrupted when Etrigan leaped at him with a roar. Blackheart held out his other hand causing Etrigan to stop midair and just float there.

"Didn't I deal with you already?" asked Blackheart.

"_You were hasty in your assumption, you foul creature of corruption!_"

"Oh joy; you're one of the rhyming ones. I hate you're kind, their so annoying. Speaking of annoying, I was about to give your friend here a family history lesson before I was so rudely interrupted."

"_No! He is not prepared to know! You don't realize what seeds you sow!_"

"Wait, wait, you knew and didn't tell him, even when he's practically begging for it? That's cold, even by our standards."

"_It's true, I could have quenched his thirst, but the safety of the world came first._"

"Do you think these rhymes out in advance or just make it up as you go along?"

Etrigan snarled in response.

"Well then, if you're not going to tell him, I guess I will."

"_No! You musn't-_"

"I think I've heard enough out of you, Shakespeare," Blackheart interrupted, before making a shooing movement with his hand, causing Etrigan to fly through the hole and with a resounding crash, through the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Now where were we?" Blackheart asked, turning back to face Hellboy. Instead he found himself face to face with the business end of the Samaritan. Hellboy pulled the trigger, causing Blackheart's head to explode in a shower of black smoke. The headless body crumpled to the ground, releasing its grip on Hellboy's jacket. Hellboy dusted off his jacket before heading for the hole, but before he could step through, a noise from behind caught his attention.

Turning he saw Blackheart's corpse begin to change. Black smoke billowed out of where his head had been, covering his body. He then began to morph. He grew to a head taller than Hellboy and a long tale grew out of the base of his spine. His skin turned jet black and his head began to regenerate itself. He had no facial expressions except for two red eyes and a handful of long, tendril-like hairs growing out of his head. His fingers ended in vicious looking claws.

"Why can't you people just stay dead," said Hellboy as he pointed the Samaritan at Blackheart and pulled the trigger…and getting only a click in response, signifying that the gun was empty.

"Not again," moaned Hellboy as Blackheart let out a small chuckle before back handing him through the wall. Crawling after him, Blackheart looked around for Hellboy, before he found Hellboy's fist being slammed into his face, sending him crashing into the ground. Hellboy raised his fist to slam it down again, but was stopped when Blackheart wrapped his tail around his arm and slammed him into the ceiling and then the floor, before tossing him away. As Hellboy rose to his feet he saw Blackheart forming a fireball in his hand. Rearing back, he hurled it at Hellboy. Hellboy backhanded it away, only to reveal Blackheart stretching his arm out to unnatural lengths, grabbing him and slamming him into the ground. Clutching him in his hand, Blackheart threw Hellboy over his head and through the ceiling, where he came to a crash on the next floor.

Sticking his head through the hole he created, Blackheart felt himself being pulled up by his 'hairs', as Hellboy yanked him up and flipped him onto the floor, before beginning to pound on him with his stone fist. After the third strike, Blackheart grabbed Hellboy's arm and, standing up, held him aloft with it. Blackheart began to pound on him, striking him in the face and stomach multiple times. Rearing his arm back, Blackheart conjured a fireball in his hand, preparing to slam it into Hellboy's chest. Just as he prepared to strike, a man called out "_Elements, which I control with ease, I command know to cause the air to freeze!_" As the incantation was finished, the arm Blackheart held the fireball in became encased in ice, extinguishing the fireball and trapping the arm.

Turning, Blackheart saw Etrigan standing behind him, arms outstretched. Eyes narrowing, he tossed Hellboy away without a glance before his arm erupted in flame, destroying the ice. Using ungodly speed, Blackheart disappeared before reappearing directly in front of Etrigan, and then backhanded him across the room into a wall. As Etrigan slumped against the wall, Blackheart appeared in front of him again and began pummeling him, his arms blurring with extreme speed as he enhanced the blows with a mixture of super strength and telekinesis. Etrigan felt his wounds increase faster than his powers could heal them. Blood began to trickle out of his mouth.

Grabbing his head, Blackheart slammed Etrigan into the ground before repeatedly beating it against the stone floor. He then charged a fireball in his empty hand and slammed it into Etrigan's back, sending him crashing through the floor back into the storage room below. Groaning, Etrigan tried to pull himself to his feet, but was slammed back to the ground when Blackheart leaped through the hole and onto Etrigan's back. Stepping off Etrigan, Blackheart reached down and picked up the demon, staring him in the eye.

'_Now, oh mighty Etrigan,_' Blackheart said, his voice resounding in Etrigan's mind instead of out of his mouth, "_You will die!_" Reaching back, he prepared to spear Etrigan through the chest…only to stop when he felt a strong and very hot hand grip his shoulder. Turning, he saw Hellboy gripping his shoulder, though he had changed. His tattoos began to glow even brighter than before, the one on his forehead the more so than the others. The halo of flame had returned and his horns had regrown. His whole body was wreathed in flame, causing his unbound hair to wave as though underwater. The fire had also burned away his clothes, flames covering strategic spots. His normal eyes were replaced by four red ones, all of them glaring hatefully at Blackheart.

"You know," Hellboy began in an unusually dark and gravely voice, black smoke billowing out of his mouth as he spoke, "you're really starting to PISS! ME! OFF!" Emphasizing the statement, he punched Blackheart in the face with his stone fist, the strike resounding like a thunderclap. Blackheart rocketed through the air, dropping Etrigan as he crashed through four walls before he crashed into the fifth, leaving a large crater in it.

Blackheart slowly pulled himself up, half his head healing from being blown off by Hellboy's punch, only to find Hellboy standing in front of him. He had his stone hand stretched out in front of him, blazing with black and red fire, focused as a swirling vortex in his palm. As the power increased, his hand turned completely into flame. Reaching back, he thrust his arm forward, causing a column of flame shooting out. The blast shot Blackheart down through the floor and down into the earth below the castle foundation. The blast left a tunnel in the floor fifty feet long and ten feet in width, the walls smoothed by the extreme heat. Blackheart was terrible injured, chunks of his body as well as his left arm and right leg were blasted off and slowly healing.

'_What are you?_' asked Blackheart weakly.

"Your end." replied Hellboy, rearing his arm back to fire another blast.

'_Not today,_' thought Blackheart, as his form began to recede into the shadows.

Roaring, Hellboy fired another blast, deepening the hole. As the smoke cleared, Blackheart's body was no where to be seen. As Hellboy looked into the hole, an echoing of laughter reached his ears.

'_See you around, great Seed of Destruction'_ came Blackheart's voice before fading away in peals of laughter. Hellboy roared in fury as his prey escaped him. Suddenly he felt someone grip his shoulder. Whirling around, Hellboy gripped the person's neck, preparing to emolliate him. Looking at the man he saw that it was Jason.

"Hellboy!" Yelled Jason, having transformed back to normal after Blackheart dropped him, "It's me! It's Jason! Jason Blood! Get a hold of yourself, my friend! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!!!"

Suddenly, Hellboy shook his head, as if waking from a dream. His four eyes disappeared, replaced by his normal two. His tattoos stopped glowing and the flaming halo and S tattoo disappeared. The flames disappeared from his body before he slumped forward, clearly exhausted. Jason managed to catch him before he fell. Putting one of Hellboy's arms of his shoulder, Jason wrapped his jacket around Hellboy's nether regions before he began to drag him back the way they came, hoping to find a way back upstairs.

Liz grunted as she was thrown to the floor again. Rising to her hands and knees, she looked up to see Rasputin watching her, waiting for her to get up. The whole time they had been fighting, Rasputin had had the upper hand. Though she had managed to score a few good blows, Rasputin had been using some fire of his own to beat her into submission. As she stood, Rasputin approached again, his hands encased in red and black fire while the 'S' mark on his head glowed brightly. As he reached back to hurl another fireball, a jet of water shot out of nowhere, sending Rasputin flying away and extinguishing the fire. Looking to her side, Liz saw Zatanna standing there, wand outstretched and looking worse for wear, with Abe draped over her shoulder.

"Hey Liz," she said with a smile on her face, "I hope you don't mind me interrupting, but it looked like you could use some help."

"No problem at all Zee." Liz responded, "I'm just glad you and Blue are alright."

"Well," spoke Rasputin as he rose to his feet, catching everyone's attention, "It looks as though I have over stayed my welcome. So I will just collect what I came here to get and be on my way."

"Like Hell you will!" Yelled Jason as he stepped out from a door near Rasputin. Putting Hellboy on the ground, he charged Rasputin throwing a punch at the Russian…which he effortlessly caught; displaying strength greater than his appearance would give him credit for.

Lifting Jason off the ground by his arm, Rasputin looked at him in the eye before saying, "You dare attack me when not in your demon form? That, my friend, was a very foolish thing to do." As he finished speaking he looked past Jason to the door he came through to see Hellboy struggling to his feet.

Turning back to Jason, he said "He's tasted the power, hasn't he?" Jason merely glared back, confirming Rasputin's suspicions. Closing his eyes, Rasputin disappeared, dropping Jason to the ground. He reappeared on the platform, where he took the baby from its mother, who weakly protested.

Cradling the child in his arms, he turned before addressing the group. "I must apologias, as this is where I must leave you. But don't worry, I will see you again. Especially you, my son," he said, addressing Hellboy, "You have tasted only a small amount of the power within you, the power granted by my master…and your father. So yes, we will meet again, for you will seek me out, to fulfill your destiny. For you, along with this beautiful child here shall bring about a grand new era. A new Eden, sprung in the ashes of the old. A-"

Rasputin was cut short however, when a resounding bang erupted from behind him. He froze in place, before he coughed, blood dribbling from his mouth. Turning he saw a battered and bloody John standing behind him, Godsmack pointed at him, its muzzle smoking.

John just looked at Rasputin hatefully before saying, "Just shut up,"

Rasputin pitched forward, blood pouring out of the gunshot wound. As he fell, the baby slipped from his grasp. Reacting quickly, Zatanna pointed her wand at the baby and shouted "_Accio Baby!_" The baby flew through the air into her waiting arms, where it began to wail in fear as Zatanna tried to sooth it. By this time, Rasputin had fallen to the ground, his blood cascading down the stairs, his eyes staring blankly outward.

Everyone was quite for awhile, before John broke the silence. "Hey HB, what happened to your pants?" Turning to face him, the others could indeed see that Hellboy was nude except for Jason's jacket wrapped around his waist. Liz and Zatanna both blushed furiously before turning away as Hellboy scratched his head, an embarresed grin on his face.

"It's kind of a long story," he said bashfully. As he scratched his head, he felt his newly grown horns. Frowning he grabbed them before breaking them off for the second time that day.

Everyone chuckled, but where interrupted when they heard the woman of the platform cry out in pain. Rushing to her side, they saw her gripping her stomach, her eyes shut in pain.

"What's the matter with her?" asked John

"There must have been a complication with the birth. She's dieing," replied Abe solemnly.

"Is there anything we can do for her?" asked Liz.

"No, there isn't" answered Jason.

"Please," the woman pleaded, stretching out her arms, her voice extremely weak, "Please…let me hold her."

Zatanna moved closer to the dieing woman, handing her the baby, now revealed to be a girl. The woman cradled her in her arms, hushing her soothingly. Looking up, she fixed her stare on Hellboy before speaking again.

"He was right…you know, you two…are so much alike. Cut from the same cloth…as it were. She's your sister, you see…but what she really needs you to be…is her father. Please…promise me…you'll look after her. Promise me…that you'll look after…my little Raven."

"I swear it," replied Hellboy, more serious than he had ever been. Holding out her hands, she offer the baby girl, Raven, to Hellboy. Taking her in his arms, the woman laid back a pleased smile on her face.

"Thank you" she said, almost in a whisper, before her eyes closed and her head slumped to the side. As if sensing her mother's death, Raven began to cry, causing Hellboy to pull her in closer as to comfort her.

Liz looked at the dead woman for a few moments before she looked back up, a confused look on her face.

"What did she mean when she said the baby was Red's sister? Who is her father?" she asked.

"The same as Hellboy's," spoke Jason, his face grim and his voice grave, "a demon known to some as Scath, but known to many as Trigon the Terrible."

"You've got to be kidding," said John, covering his face with his palm.

"What?" asked Liz "Whose Trigon?"

"He is a demon of the utmost power. A direct subordinate of Satan himself. He is one of Hell's great generals, the living embodiment of wrath. He is a destroyer of worlds and conqueror of galaxies. And it appears he's decided to add our little corner of the multiverse to the burning expanses of the Pit."

"What do mean by 'multiverse'?" asked Zatanna.

"Our world isn't the only one in existence, Zee" answered Abe. Getting a confused look in response he continued. "You see, there is not just one Earth, one universe. There are many, each existing in its own time stream running through the vast void know as the multiverse. Each world is unique, differing from each other by minor details or major changes. Their could be one where you are using your powers to make a career as a stage magician, or one where John has black hair, lives in Los Angeles and doesn't smoke. There could even be ones were we don't exist at all. The possibilities are endless."

"Wow," Liz whispered, casting a glance at Hellboy, whose face was neutral, "You okay Red?"

"How long have you known?" Hellboy asked Jason, his eyes focused on the baby in his arms, his voice full of pain.

"Since I met you, Etrigan is rather well informed."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"We thought it was better you didn't know."

"Who's 'we'? You and Etrigan?"

"No…Your father and me."

Hellboy's head snapped up, his eyes burning with hate.

"WHAT! He knew too!?! How could he not of told me!?!"

"Because he thought you had enough to deal with as it is! Being a half-demon alone is a terrible burden to bear, add that to the fact that you fight evil and must live your life out of the public eye. The last thing you needed to now is that your father is a Lord of Hell! We were afraid you might snap and do something rash. Or worse. Ignorance is bliss, my friend."

Hellboy seemed to be taken aback by the response, lowering his again to look at the wiggling baby in his arms. He was silent for a few moments before he spoke up again.

"What does he want with us? The kid and me, I mean."

"I don't know," replied Jason, shrugging his shoulders, "but whatever it is, it must be pretty big to call in so many of his associates."

"What do you mean?" asked Liz

"Well for one there is the Church of Blood, led by the vile Brother Blood." elaborated Jason "They're a cult who worships Trigon as a god. Then there's Baron Mordo, a servant to Dormammu, one of Trigon's lieutenants. Then, there's Blackheart, the son of Mephisto, another of Trigon's lieutenants. Finally, there's Grigori Rasputin himself, Trigon's 'prophet' of sorts, a man known for his devotion to his demonic patron as well as his refusal to stay dead."

"Well good to know the odds are in our favor," John said sarcastically.

Nodding his head, Jason continued, "John is right, the forces staked against us are great and our victory here tonight is temporary at best. As Rasputin himself said, this is only the beginning. Of what I don't know. All I know is that someday, maybe years from now, Rasputin will return and try to set his master's plans into motion."

"Well what do we do now?" asked Zantanna.

"For now I think its best if we take the child back with us, who knows what would happen if Trigon's minions got their hands on her."

"Yeah," agreed John, "Besides, if we don't look after the kid, who will? A bunch of peace loving monks? Yeah, that's a good one."

Liz nodded in agreement before turning to look at Hellboy. He was looking at Raven, wiggling one of his stone fingers in front of her face, causing her to reach out for it, gurgling in happiness.

"Well Red, what do you think?" she asked.

Hellboy raised his head, looking at the team, who were all looking back at him expectantly. Turning back to the baby, he said, "Well kid, looks like you're stuck with us." Raven smiled and let out a small squeal. Hellboy smiled, "Yeah, you won't be saying that for long." Turning back to the group he said, "Come on, let's get out of here. Besides it's getting cold and I'm starting to freeze my buns off."

Hellboy laughed as Zatanna and Liz both looked away with embarrassed looks on their faces before he headed for the door with Raven in his arms, the rest of the team following close (but not too close) behind.

A/N: God this took forever! Sorry to people who were waiting for this, I think there's at least seven of you. But what ever, I'm a slow writer so what? I just hope you enjoyed this chapter; it's already one of my personal favorites. Also, before anyone asks, Harry will not be a big part of the story, I just wanted to use J.K. Rowling's great magical world for the back drop for the magically inclined characters. Sorry if some characters are out of…well character but that's because I don't know them as well. But then again it is a different universe so give me some slack. Anyway, I hope to get the next chapter out A.S.A.P but we'll have to see. Please review and bonus points to those who can figure out what the history of the castle (the bit about the thane) is based off of. Later!


	5. Strange Tales

Disclaimer: I own nothing. NOTHING!

**Chapter 5: Strange Tales**

_Come to me children and follow my way_

_  
Into the world of darkness and magic_

_  
With all my power I'll show you the way_

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To all your dreams, hopes and illusions._

-Magic Melody, DHT

_October 23, 1996, Metropolis, NY_

Near the center of the great city of Metropolis, among the back alleys, sat an unassuming apartment building. People walked past it everyday, thinking it nothing more than a plain brick building. If one would simply attempt to walk through the front door however, they would discover that the building was not as unassuming as it appeared.

This building was a powerful magical location known as the Sanctum Sanctorum. Though it appeared to be regular building, this was actually an illusion, one of the many spells protecting the building. Within, the building was actually a large, extra-dimensional space many times larger than the building itself. The Sanctorum was a stronghold for the forces of good and the home of the champions of a benevolent group of spiritual entities known as the Lords of Order. The Lords of Order had fought for centuries with a group of evil entities known as the Lords of Chaos. The Lords of Chaos sought to plunge the world into anarchy and darkness. For centuries, the Lords of Order have fought these entities from behind the scenes in order to keep humanity safe and order intact.

At this time no people could be seen walking down the out of the way alleys and side streets near the Sanctorum, save for one. The person approaching the building appeared as unassuming as the Sanctorum itself. Most of his features were hidden by the plain gray cloak he wore. The only feature discernable was the gray beard that poked out from under his hood. He walked up to one of the doors and knocked three times before speaking strange, unintelligible words. Instantly, the door flashed bright crimson as the sound of a lock unlocking was heard. Reaching out, the hooded figure opened the door and ventured into the darkness within, closing the door behind him.

Within, the cloaked figure was covered in darkness for a few moments before two torch-like flames appeared, flanking him. Seconds after these appeared, a line of them sprung into life, illuminating a make-shift path through the darkness. The man walked briskly along the illuminated path, his footsteps echoing out into the darkness. As he continued down the path, a large wooden double door appeared in front of him. When the man reached the door, he put his hands on the door before saying, "May the hands of Fate open this door!" As soon as this was said, an ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life, appeared on the door, emblazed in gold. The sound of a lock turning was heard again before the door opened inward under its own power, creaking as it did.

As the door opened up it revealed a large circular room with a high vaulted, domed ceiling. At the center of the room was a large round table with many figures huddled around it. The most astonishing feature of the room however, was the room itself. On the stone floor of the room, directly underneath the table, was carved the picture of an attractive woman with long flowing hair and large amounts of plant and animal life surrounding her. Around the picture was a thin circle with arcane symbols written within it. Eight smaller circles intersected this circle at even intervals. Six of these, along the carvings sides, had a symbol in them as well as each glowing a different color, casting a shadowy light around the room. In total, the symbols consisted of the picture of a stylized flame glowing orange, a stone glowing brown, a gust of wind glowing gray, a wave glowing blue, a tree glowing green and the outline of a lion glowing red. The symbol above the carving's head depicted an ankh glowing white, while the one below her feet displayed an eye glowing black. To add to this, a glowing orb of yellow light could be seen continually racing along the circle. As it passed, crackling electricity could be seen while the sound and feel of rushing air could be faintly felt and heard.

Around the walls of the room there were eight giant statues, each supporting a column with apparent ease. One depicted a huge, muscular man dressed in heavy armor with a face concealing, domed helmet. The pedestal below him read Cyttorak. The next appeared to be a cloud with sinister looking eyes floating between the column and pedestal. Its pedestal read Balthakk. The third was a powerful looking being. He had short coarse fur and spiral ram horns on his head. A large, camel-like hump was on his back and sharp nails on his hands and feet. The pedestal read Farallah. The fourth was an insect-like humanoid, with spikes in its exoskeleton. Each limb ended in hands with four radically placed digits. It had a proboscis where the mouth would normally be. Its pedestal read the name Ikonn. The fifth statue depicted a heavily armored man with a large assortment of long, sharp blades strapped to his armor. His pedestal displayed the name Krakkan. The sixth statue showed a man with four arms and a serpintine lower body. His face was hidden by a large helmet with ram's horns. His pedestal read Raggadorr. The seventh appeared to be a large snake. On his pedestal was carved the name Valtorr. The final statue looked like a large armored man with both insectoid and feline characteristics. The pedestal read the name Watoomb.

The eight columns lead up into a platform that circled the room. Upon these platforms stood three more giant statues, together supporting a smaller circular platform above them. One of these statues was humanoid with feline features, including a tigers head. Another looked like an old, bald man with pupil-less eyes and pointed ears. The final one appeared to be a woman with long ivy-like strands growing from her head. Below each of these statues was a name carved in the platform; Agamotto, Hoggoth and, Oshtur respectively.

On the final level of the mosaic, the ceiling converged into a dome. In the walls of the dome where carved the likenesses of eight beings. One appeared to be a decrepit old man with a long cloak with a hood that covered his eyes and a book chained to his right wrist. Another looked like a woman with long hair and dark clothing. She wore an ankh around her neck and had a stylized eye tattooed below one of her own. The next appeared as a skinny man with star-like eyes. He wore a long coat that ended in flames. The fourth appeared as a man with a long bushy beard and hair and dressed in swashbuckling-esque clothing. The next was a strikingly beautiful human, though it was completely androgynous. The sixth appeared to be a completely nude, morbidly obese woman with pointed teeth. After that was the image of a young woman with wild hair and oddly distant-looking eyes. The final one appeared to be a man dressed in armor with a large helmet with four strange horn-like designs on its sides, forming two pairs. Each of theses beings appeared to be reaching above them, towards the center of the ceiling. At the center of the ceiling was a face with stars in its skin and suns for eyes. A ring bordered the face. Inside the border was written "Eternity is Endless."

The hooded figure walked briskly towards the table, removing his hood as he went. The silver beard that was seen before lead up to a venerable face full of wisdom and kindness. A pointed cap sat on his head, covering a stock of silver hair. A pair of half-moon spectacles sat in front of two sparkling blue eyes.

This was Professor Albus Dumbledore, current headmaster of Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Britain's premiere wizarding school. Albus was one of the most skilled magic users in the world and was world renowned for both his skills and theories. Also, Albus was the founder and leader of the organization known as the Order of the Phoenix, an organization dedicated to fighting the forces of the evil Lord Voldemort, who was trying to take over all of Britain and was one of the few who could hold his own against the Dark Wizard himself.

"I am sorry that I am late," spoke Albus in a light, intelligent voice, "I had some business at the school to take care of."

"That's all right Albus," came a commanding voice as a figure stood up from the opposite side of the table, "We are just glad you could make it."

Not much could be told about the man. He wore a golden helmet which hid his features, his eyes appearing a two glowing white orbs. He wore a golden, high collared cape with blue lining and a blue and gold body suit, over which he wore gold gloves, boots and a pair of short shorts.

This was Kent Nelson, though he was more properly and famously, in the wizarding world at least, known as Doctor Fate. Kent was born into a normal wizarding family and had attended Hogwarts in his day, being a Gryffindor and excelling academically. He eventually joined a branch of the Ministry of Magic that dealt with archeology. It was on a trip to Egypt that Kent made the discovery that would change his life.

While examining a dig sight, Kent accidentally fell into a hidden room. The room seemed to have been a temple area of sorts, at the center of which sat a golden helmet. Kent was unsure why he decided to take the helmet and place it on his head that day, though he has said that it may very well have been destiny calling him.

When Kent placed the helmet on his head, he made contact with the spirit that resided with in it. This spirit was a Lord of Order known as Nabu. Nabu revealed to Kent that he had been chosen to hold the title of Doctor Fate, and charged to be an agent of the Lords of Order. His primary task was to seek out other people who have been chosen to carry on magical titles and guide them down the path of good, thereby aiding the Lords of Order in their eternal struggle against the Lords of Chaos. It was also revealed that Kent was not the first Doctor Fate and that he was part of a magical cycle created by the Lords of Order to fight their enemies, a cycle that always began with the selection of a new Doctor Fate. When Kent asked why he was chosen, Nabu explained that the Lords of Order had watched him his entire life and chosen him because of his courage, knowledge and good heart. Nabu continued by saying that the secret room was merely for show and that he could have had the helmet appear anywhere.

Kent's new position did not come without its perks however. The Helmet of Nabu was an incredibly powerful artifact which increased Kent's magical power ten fold, while also acting as a focus for it, something that all except the most powerful Homo Magi requires to us magic, so that Kent know longer needed to carry a wand. The Helmet also allowed Kent to directly communicate with Nabu, who served both as an advisor and a teacher, teaching Kent many forgotten and powerful spells. Nabu also allowed Kent to be completely aware of his surroundings at all times.

After discovering the Helmet, Kent, now Doctor Fate; set out to locate the others Homo Magi in the cycle. To do so he first collected the magical artifacts he needed to pass on to their respective heirs. Then to keep them safe, he created the Sanctum Sanctorum as his personal refuge. Over the next few years, Fate traveled the world, delivering the artifacts to their respective owners and teaching them in their uses as well as meeting some of the world's greatest magic users, all the while battling the servants of the Lords of Chaos. Eventually, Fate realized that he couldn't fight the forces of evil by himself forever, so, at Nabu's suggestion, he created an organization of the world's most powerful wizards and witches as well as the leader of the world's different wizard governments known as the Sentinels of Magic. It was a meeting of this organization that the people present were currently gathered for.

"Come Albus," said Fate, gesturing to an empty seat at the table, "have a seat."

Taking the seat with a polite nod, Albus took the time to look around the table at the other people gathered for the meeting. Included were the many leaders of the wizard governments, including the pudgy Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic in the British Isles. Turning to look at Fate's seat Albus could see a young woman sitting to its right. She had long, sleek, black hair and dark, sultry eyes. She wore a form fitting dress that showed off a fair bit off cleavage.

This was the ancient sorceress known as Madam Xanadu. Xanadu was born in the kingdom of Camelot, where she was known as Nimue. There's she met and became the student of the great wizard Merlin. Sadly, she became power hungry and tricked Merlin into teaching her his most powerful spells, after which she sealed him away in a cave. Merlin had the last laugh however. Suspecting treachery, he placed a spell on Nimue as she slept. When Nimue betrayed her mentor, the spell activated, stripping her off all her magical powers. She was eventually found out and banished from Camelot, though it mattered little, as the kingdom fell soon after. Nimue, now calling herself Madam Xanadu wandered Europe, using what little magic she was able to retain to survive. Eventually, her time came, but Xanadu decided she wouldn't go down without a fight. She challenged Death itself to a card game, her soul as the stake. Miraculously, she won the game and thus gained eternal life. After many years of wandering, she decided to turn over a new leaf in an attempt to repent for her sins. She served many years as a supernatural advisor to those in need. Eventually, Xanadu was approached by Dr. Fate to join the Sentinels of Magic, to which she agreed, putting her considerable arcane knowledge to good use.

Madam Xanadu was once a powerful sorceress, but thanks to Merlin's curse her powers are just a shadow of what they once were. One of the most potent of her remaining powers is her ability to read peoples possible fates through Tarot cards. Also she has the ability to sense others magical signatures; a rare ability that appears among Homo Magi.

To Xanadu's right and Dumbledoor's left was a young woman of similar looks; long black hair and dark eyes. She wore a full green dress that left her shoulders bare. She smiled kindly at the headmaster.

This was the powerful witch, June Moone. June was a Homo Magi living on the streets, having been kicked out of her home by her Muggle parents, who saw her blossoming magical powers as freakish, when she was discovered by Madam Xanadu. Xanadu sensed great potential with in the girl and took her under her wing, giving her a home and a new life. When June turned 11 and her magical powers fully manifested, Xanadu began to teach her the spells taught to her by Merlin himself. It was also revealed that June had the power to sense magic signatures, the same power possessed by Xanadu, an amazing turn of events to say the least. Over the years, Xanadu trained June to a point where her power rivaled the one Xanadu once possesed. When Fate asked Xanadu to join the Sentinels of Magic, Xanadu requested that June be allowed to join as well. Fate agreed, seeing June's impressive powers as a valuable asset to the Lords of Order. During her time with the group, June has fought many battles and earned herself the nickname the Enchantress among the other Sentinels, due to as much part to her gorgeous looks as her skill in magic.

To the left of Fate sat a man who appeared incredibly old. He had a bald hair and a long bushy white beard that hung to his chest. He wore a simply white shall over his thin frame.

This was the ancient wizard Shazam. Shazam was unbelievably old, having been born in the ancient land of Canaan. There, he was nothing but a merely shepard when he was chosen by the Lords of Order to become the Champion, a magical being who was gifted by the gods with the power to fight all manner of evil. Shazam is in fact not his name, merely an acronym explain his powers. 'S' stands for the wisdom of Solomon, 'H' for the strength of Hercules, 'A' for the stamina of Atlas, 'Z' for the power of Zeus, 'A' for the courage of Achilles and 'M' for the speed of Mercury. For countless centuries Shazam has fought evil where ever he found it, always out of the public eye, but the years have begun to catch up with him. He has longed to find someone suitable to continue his quest, joining the Sentinels of Magic not only to fight the forces of evil, but to also find the next one to wield the power of Shazam.

To Shazam's left sat an equally ancient looking woman. She had short, curly gray hair and brown eyes. She wore a simple, dark colored dress. A gnarled cane sat next to her chair while a black cat sat in her lap, which she stroked affectionately.

The old woman was Agatha Harkins, an old and wise witch. Agatha had been alive since the seventeenth century and had been involved in the Salem Witch Trials. Agatha was one of the most respected witches around. She was highly skilled in magic as well as being an expert in all things supernatural. When Fate formed the Sentinels of Magic, she was one of the first he approached.

To her left sat a young man, apparently in his late teens, of Middle Eastern heritage, with brown eyes and dark brown hair. He wore a short sleeve white shirt, which displayed his athletic frame, with a yellow cape over it. A yellow hood sat on his head. Next to him rested a long staff with a hook at the end, resembling a shepard's crook.

This man was Danny Khalifa, but he was better known under the name of Ibis the Invincible. Danny was a wizard from a family of immigrants to America from Egypt and the first person sought out by Dr. Fate. Not long after Kent took on the title of Dr. Fate, he sought out Danny, who had been visiting relatives in Egypt, and presented him with a powerful artifact known as the Ibis-stick, which had been kept alongside the Helm of Nabu for safe keeping. It turned out Danny was the descendent of a great wizard from ancient Egypt named Ibis, who had created the Ibis-stick and fought evil alongside a previous Dr. Fate. At first, Danny was reluctant to take up the responsibility of being Ibis the Invincible, but Fate explained to Danny as Nabu had to him that the world needed force of good like them to combat evil, because if the ones with the power to fight evil didn't, who would? After that, Danny agreed to become the new Ibis and took up his ancestors staff, which like Fate's Helm, increased his magical power as well as becoming his focus for it. Ibis joined Fate in his travels and has served as one of his most trusted allies ever since.

To Danny's left was another young man, appearing to be of the same age, with short white hair and Caucasian complexion. He wore a black bodysuit and a knee length cape with red lining. The bodysuit had a low v-cut collar which revealed some of his chest, displaying his athletic build. The most striking feature about him, however was the ruby stuck into his chest. It glowed dimly and occasionally small bolts of energy shot out as discharge.

This man was David Sargent, better known as Sargon the Sorcerer. David was an American Homo Magi struggling to make it as a musician when Fate and Ibis found him. David's grandfather had been a powerful wizard who went under the same moniker that David himself now goes by. The primary source of Sargon's powers was a gem known as the Ruby of Life, which not only focused their magic but also allowed them to control objects at a whim. Originally, David wanted nothing to do with his grandfather's jewel, or the great cosmic battle Fate, who he saw as too aloof and ordered, was trying to drag him into. He simply wished to play his music. It was Ibis, having been in a similar situation to David, who convinced him to take his grandfather's ruby and fight alongside them, using a similar, "If we don't, who will?" speech as Fate had on him. Since then, David had strived to try and serve the Lords of Order to the best of his ability, alongside his now best friend Ibis and mentor Fate.

As Albus finished looking around the table, Fate had returned to his chair and was now calling the meeting to order.

"Friends and colleges," he began, standing before his chair, "I'm glad you all could arrive safely, times are, sadly, not as peaceful as they once were."

"It is no matter, my young friend," said Shazam, "but you must tell us what is so urgent to call us all together on such short notice?"

"I believe I can answer that, my dear, old friend," spoke an elderly and exotic sounding voice coming from a figure in the shadows. When it finished speaking, the figure stepped into the light, revealing an ancient looking man of Asian decent. He had a bald head and a long, gray, Fu Manchu-style moustache. He wore a flowing blue robe which dragged along the floor as he walked.

"The Ancient One!" whispered one of the government representatives with awe.

The Ancient One was a powerful wizard, indeed one of the most powerful ever to exist, whose power could rival Merlin himself. Centuries ago he was a simple wizard living in ancient China when he was chosen by a powerful Lord of Order known as the Living Tribunal to carry the most prestigious titles in the entire wizarding world: the Sorcerer Supreme. The Sorcerer Supreme was a magical avatar, charged with keeping the balance of magical in the entire universe. As such he or she was gifted with powers no other wizard could compete with. For centuries, the Ancient One held this title, defending the universe alongside his close ally, Shazam. Some time ago however, the power of the Sorcerer Supreme left him. This did not surprise him though, as the Ancient One understood that the power couldn't stay with him forever and had gone off to search for a younger wizard or witch to carry the title. Sadly, this meant that he was unable to face new magical threats, such as the rise of Lord Voldermort in Great Britain.

Instantly some unspoken conversation passed between the Ancient One and Shazam, evident from Shazam's eyes suddenly going wide.

"You don't mean…" Shazam began before trailing off.

"Mean what?" asked one of the representatives

"It is time." The Ancient One stated calmly, "He has been chosen."

"I don't understand," said Fudge, a look of befuddlement on his face, "whose been chosen?"

Shazam turned to answer Fudge, a look of wonder on his face, "The new Sorcerer Supreme."

A collective gasp passed through the room before the rustle of whispered conversation was heard. Raising his hand, Dr. Fate called the meeting back to order.

"Now this should not come as a surprise to you all." he stated, "You know as well as I do that the rate of chosen is on the rise. I've heard that the elemental parliaments are preparing to choose their representatives. Even, _he_ is close to empowering his champion." As Fate said this, he looked over his shoulder. Behind him, between two of the statues supporting the roof was a large door. It was constructed from heavy timbers and reinforced with iron bands and painted with magic symbols. Green smoke oozed out of a large keyhole in the center of the door.

Fate paused for a moment to allow his words to sink in before continue, "So, you see, it was only a matter of time until the new Sorcerer Supreme was chosen."

"That's all well and good Doctor," spoke up Albus, "but you're ignoring the thought that is on everyone's mind, who is he?"

"If you allow me Professor," replied the Ancient One, "I can do more than simply tell you. I can show you."

Walking around the table, he stopped between Xanadu and the Enchantress. "I will require your aid, my dears." he stated, holding out a hand to each of them. They each took one and closed their eyes, the Enchantress with a slight blush on her face from the surprise of being asked for aid by the Ancient One himself.

"Now I need you both to concentrate on my magical aura." he explained, "Do you have it?" At their nods, he continued, "Now reach out and look for an aura identical to mine."

A few seconds passed before Xanadu spoke up, "I think I found him."

"Me too," concurred Enchantress.

"He's somewhere in the States."

"New York City."

"Manhattan."

"A poor neighborhood."

"A run down apartment building."

"Third floor."

"Second apartment."

"The kitchen."

"Looking out the window."

"Show me," stated the Ancient One. At his requested, both women tightened their grips as a faint glow surrounded their clasped hands.

"Ah, yes, there he is. Yes that's him, all right. Let's show the others your face, shall we?" Slowly, he opened his eyes. As he did a bright light shone out of them. It stopped above the middle of the table, converging into an orb floating a few feet above the table. Inside the orb, an image appeared. It showed a man, apparently in his late twenties, staring dreamily out a dirty window. He had short black hair, green eyes and a goatee. He wore a cheap blue shirt and brown pants with loafers. After a few seconds he turned his gaze from the window to his hands, which where lightly shaking. He stared at them for a few seconds before clutching them and his eyes closed, a look of frustration on his face.

The scene cut out as the orb disappeared, leaving all three of the spells participants with dazed looks on their faces.

"Who is he?" asked Ibis.

"His name is Dr. Stephen Strange." answered the Ancient One, recovered from the spell. "He was successful surgeon before a car accident left him unable to perform the minuet movements required, thus explaining his current state of living."

"Something is puzzling me, Ancient One." stated Agatha, "If he is a wizard, why is living in a Muggle neighborhood, and why does he have no enchanted utensils in his kitchen?"

"That is because, despite being a Homo Magi, he has no knowledge of his magical abilities. He has been raised completely outside the wizarding world."

At that, the walls of the chamber began to reverberate from the uproar of angry voices coming from the men seated at the table.

"This is an outrage!" bellowed Fudge, "Are you suggesting that the next Sorcerer Supreme is no better than a Muggle!?!"

"I am not merely suggesting it, I am stating a fact," replied the Ancient One, keeping his voice calm.

"Well then I say you're off your rocker you old fool and if you believe that the Ministry of Magic is going to recognize this man as the Sorcerer Supreme then you've-" Fudge's rant was interrupted when Dr. Fate stood up, throwing his chair back and slamming his fists against the table.

"CORNELIUS FUDGE!" he roared, magic energy radiating around him, causing Fudge to stumble back into his seat, his face visibly pale, "You have forgotten your place! It is neither up to you nor your ministry to say if this man is the Sorcerer Supreme or not! That power belongs to one beyond both you and me. And it has dictated that Dr. Stephen Strange is indeed the next Sorcerer Supreme, whether any of you like it or not. So I suggest that you all keep your opinions to yourselves and we can deal with more pressing matters. And you." he spat, pointing at Fudge, who was visibly shaking, "If I ever hear you insult the Ancient One again, you will receive no mercy from me."

"Now that that's out of the way," said Dumbledoor, in an attempt to break some of the tension in the room, "I believe now would be a good time to address another matter. Now that the new Sorcerer Supreme has been found, we must now take steps to retrieve him. His existence will not remain a secret for long."

"Dumbledoor is right," commented Agatha, "Now that we know he is and where he resides we must retrieve him before the Lords of Chaos do."

"But who will we send?" asked Sargon, "I mean it would be pretty obvious something is up if one of us goes looking for him. I think the Lords of Chaos would be pretty interested in eliminating the next Sorcerer Supreme."

"Indeed it would be quite evident if one of us went to retrieve him ," replied Dumbledoor, his fingers tented in front of his face, a twinkle in his eyes, "But what if instead of sending someone the Lords of Chaos would know, we instead sent…a stranger."

A look of realization appeared on the gathered witches and wizards. Dr. Fate smiled beneath his helmet before speaking, "Yes, I believe he is just the man we are looking for."

"But who will stand his post while he is away?" asked Shazam.

"I will," volunteered Dr. Fate, "I am the most capable to fill it in his absence. Are we all in agreement?" When everyone nodded their heads, he continued, "Good, then we will adjourn until Dr. Strange is brought here safely. May the Vishianti watch over you all."

At that, the Sentinels stood from their seats and proceeded to the exit, all except Dr. Fate. He instead headed towards the large, locked door he had glanced at earlier. Placing his hands against the door, the magic signs began to glow gold as his power surged into the door. The light then reached the lock, causing the keyhole to glow gold before the sound of a lock unlocking was heard. A loud creaking sound was heard as the door slowly opened outward. A blast of air shot out from the opening, spewing out a cloud of green smoke. As the air died down, Dr. Fate calmly walked through the door into the darkness within. As he walked in two large green flames burst into life, emanating from two large golden pots with green symbols running along their sides. The light revealed that the room was quite large, as large as the previous room. Here however, the wall and roof were bare stone. The only object in the room was a massive glass globe in the center of the room with green smoke swirling both within it and around it.

Dr. Fate walked briskly towards the globe, obviously looking for something.

"Stranger!" he called "Where are you Phantom Stranger? I know you're here. Show yourself!"

"There is no need to shout, Doctor," said a voice from behind him, "I am right here."

From the shadows, a man stepped into Dr. Fate's vision. He was of average build and appeared to be in his thirties. He wore a white button shirt and black pants, over which he wore a dark blue trench coat and hat. The hat cast a shadow over his eyes, making them appear as only white globes.

This was the man known as the Phantom Stranger. Not much was known about him. The Ancient One claimed that he was an angel who refused to take sides in Lucifer's rebellion against Heaven. As punishment, he was sentenced to walk the earth until judgment day. Since then he has wandered the world, doing good deeds when and where he could, eventually leading to him coming into the service of the Ancient One, who charged him with guarding a special object. There are other speculations of who the Stranger actually is, but this was the most accepted theory.

"I need you to find someone for us." stated Dr. Fate.

"Dr. Stephen Strange. The next Sorcerer Supreme, though he has no knowledge of his magical abilities. Currently residing in New York City, New York."

"How did you…?"

"These walls are not as thick as they appear, nor do I merely sit in this room, twiddling my thumbs."

Fate smiled under his helmet before continuing, "So are you willing to retrieve him?"

"As long as you are willing to guard my tenant."

"I am."

"Then we have an agreement."

"Good. I would ask that you depart as soon as possible."

"Worry not, good doctor, for I am already gone." As the Stranger said this he walked into the shadows before he completely disappeared.

As the Stranger disappeared, Dr. Fate sighed turned back to the globe, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Hello…Specter."

At his words, the smoke within the globe began to swirl about, condensing into a solid figure. The form eventually became the upper body of a well built man with chalk white skin and white eyes. He wore a billowing cloak of the same green as the smoke that it was mingled with. The cloaks hood covered most of his head.

This was the Specter, an incredibly powerful spirit. The Specter was created by God to be used as a tool for His divine wrath. The Specter wandered the Earth, destroying evil and punishing the guilty wherever he found them. A problem arose however. After an unknown event, the Specter began a war against magic, destroying magical objects and slaughtering any witch or wizard who crossed his path. To make matters worse, the Specter manipulated the Muggle population into turning against the Homo Magi, ultimately leading them to go into hiding and remain so to that very day. After this, God ordered a host of angels to contain the Specter. They were joined by a group of the most powerful wizards and witches of the age, seeking vengeance against the Specter for his murders. Among these was the man who would eventually be known as the Ancient One as well as the fallen angel, the Phantom Stranger. In the terrible battle that followed, dozens of Homo Magi and angels fell before the Specters wrath. Eventually though, the Specter was subdued and sealed within the glass orb by the combined power of the Ancient One and the Phantom Stranger. The archangel Michael, who was leading the host, asked that the Ancient One and the Stranger watch over the Specter, lest he escape to wreak his vengeance upon the world. Since then, the Specter has remained in his glass prison, locked away in the Sanctum Sanctorum, carefully guarded by the Phantom Stranger and the Sorcerer Supreme. That did not mean, however, that the Specter's influence had completely disappeared from the world.

"Ah, Dr. Fate," spoke the Specter in a raspy voice full of malice, "It's an honor to be granted a visited from one of the Ancient One's greatest lackeys. Come to tell me that the old man finally keeled over? And where has the Phantom Stranger wandered off to? Come now, do tell."

"The Stranger is performing a very important task for the Sentinels of Magic."

"Playing errand boy again is he? What's he gone off for this time, a virgin for one of your debased rituals? Or how bought a nice vial of baby's blood for you to use to summon one of your demonic masters? Or are you merely out of milk? I never can tell what you have that whipping boy of yours doing these days."

"If you must know, he has gone to retrieve a very important person. The new Sorcerer Supreme."

The Specter suddenly became very interested in the conversation, "Really know? The old man's stepping down is he? I'm sorry, I don't get out much. Please, fill me in."

"I don't see why that information would be important to someone trapped within a glass bowl."

The curiosity that once filled the Specter's face was replaced with rage. "Don't toy with me, Fate. I may not know what goes on in that room of yours but that does not mean I blind to all that happens in the world."

"What do you mean, Specter?"

"I see _him_."

A look of realization passed over Dr. Fate's face. "Your champion."

"My rider. And when he has finally come of age, he will gain the power to bring back something this world so thoroughly lacks. Justice."

"By justice you mean murder and destruction. I can only hope that his conscious, unlike yours, will keep him from warping a noble task into genocide!"

The Specter pressed himself against his glass prison, rage glowing in his eyes, the smoke in the room swirling around like a hurricane. "YOU KNOW NOT OF WHAT YOU SPEAK, WIZARD!!" he boomed.

"I know enough murderer!"

"I've had enough of your insolence! You only understand what you have seen, not what I have."

"Then explain it to me."

"I don't see how that information would be important to some one trapped by his own destiny."

At that the Specter retreated back into his prison, out of sight to leave Dr. Fate alone with his thoughts.

_New York City, NY_

All was quite in the ghettos of New York. Street lights were the only source of light on the empty streets, and a poor one at that. A worn looking apartment sat in the pale glow of these lights, its windows illuminated by the apartments within. However, in an alleyway near the building, the lights suddenly began to flicker, before completely going out. Then, just as quickly as it went out, it came back on, only now there was something that wasn't there before. Now a man stood under the pale light of the street lamp. Now a stranger stood looking up at that old apartment building.

The Stranger quickly checked the address of the apartment building to make sure it was the right one before entering. He walked up to the third floor and stopped in front of the second apartment from the stairs. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. A few seconds later, Dr. Steven Strange answered the door.

"Dr. Strange, I presume." he stated.

"Yes, I am," Strange replied hesitantly, "and you are?"

"Ditko," the Stranger lied, "Steve Ditko."

"Well, Mr. Ditko, what may I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you."

"About what exactly?"

"It concerns your father."

"What about my father?"

"That there was more to him than you might think."

Dr. Strange stared at him for a few seconds before opening the door and inviting him in, saying, "I'm listening."

A few minutes later, they were sitting across from each other at the kitchen's small table. They sat in silence for a few moments before Dr. Strange began.

"So, Mr. Ditko, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Well, let me first ask you this, what is it that you know about your father?"

"Not much. He was a surgeon like me and he died not long after I was born."

"And if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did he die?"

"A car crash, what are you getting at?" Dr. Strange demanded, losing his patience.

"A car crash you say?" said the Stranger, his voice thick with sarcasm, "That must have been a pretty bad crash to burn that massive hole in his chest."

Dr. Strange froze on the spot, "What?"

"He died of a hole being burned in his chest. His vital organs were all destroyed. His ribcage was melted clean off."

"H-how is something like that possible?" Dr. Strange asked, wide-eyed.

"Do you believe in magic, Dr. Strange?"

"W-what?" Strange stammered, caught completely off guard, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Answer the question, Doctor."

"No, of course not! What does this have to do with my father?"

"_Everything_."

"'Everything'!?!" roared Strange, leaping to his feet and throwing his chair back, "Stop speaking in riddles! What do you know about my father!?!"

"I know what this tells me," the Stranger said, pulling a folder out of his coat and sliding across the table. On the front was written, Dr. Strange's father's name, along with "Bureau of Magic."

"What's this?" Dr. Strange asked, bewilderment clear on his face.

"That would be the Bureau of Magic's file on your father."

"Bureau of what?"

"The Bureau of Magic, the branch of the American government that deals with the magical community."

"Wait, wait, are you trying to tell me that my father was some kind of magician!?!"

"Wizard to be precise." Corrected the Stranger, "And to answer your question, yes, yes I am."

"So, what, am I am some kind of 'wizard' too?"

"Yes you are."

"And why didn't I know this before?"

"Your mother chose to raise you away from the wizarding world. I presume it had to do with your father's death."

"Do you realize how insane you sound right now!?!"

"To you? Probably a good deal. But let me ask you a question. Have you ever done something, something that you couldn't explain?"

"I-I-" Dr. Strange stuttered. The question had brought up a long list of memories from his childhood where he did indeed do things that he couldn't explain. He also remembered that whenever he brought these incidents up with his mother, she would quickly dismiss them as nothing.

"How about the accident?"

Dr. Strange's blood ran cold, "What do you know about that?"

"I know what the report I read told me."

"The police report?" asked Dr. Strange, still a little shocked.

"No, the Bureau of Magic's Accidental Use of Magic report."

"What?" asked Dr. Strange, his voice barely above a whisper.

"The report said that while driving home that night, that you accidentally levitated your car, causing you to loose control and crash. I understand your mother requested that you weren't informed. I also understand that you lost the ability to perform minuet motions with your hands. That lost you your job. Now wizards only release magic accidentally when they are experience very strong emotions. This usually only occurs in teenagers, but with someone who never learned how to control his magic properly then I suppose it's quite understandable. But please Doctor; tell me what you were feeling."

"I was angry." replied Dr. Strange, his voice full of emotion, his eyes glistening with held back tears.

"Who were you angry at?"

"I was angry at myself!!" he shouted, slamming his hands on the table, "I botched an operation! I lost a little girl the use of her legs! It was all my fault! I was such a fool! If I had just-"

"Doctor!"

"What!!" Dr. Strange shouted, turning to glare at the Stranger, tears streaming down his face. He gasped I shock at what he saw. The chair the Stranger was currently sitting in had risen into the air, as had a few miscellaneous items in the kitchen and living room. The Stranger was sitting in the chair with his legs crossed, as if nothing odd was happening at all.

Dr. Stranges hands shot to his head and his eyes shut tight. A number of loud crashes sounded as the items fell to the floor. The Stranger's chair floated gently to the ground, its occupant completely unfazed. Dr. Strange slowly opened his eyes and lowered his hands, his breathing becoming much steadier.

"D-Did I do that?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes you did."

"So, I'm a…"

"A wizard? Yes, you are."

"Why are you telling me all this now?"

"Because my superiors just discover that you are a very, very special wizard."

"What does that mean?"

"I can't tell you that at the moment, but if you'll come with me-" the Stranger abruptly froze, his eyes going wide, "Oh no." he whispered.

"What?" Dr. Strange asked, confused, "What is it?"

"You have to hide. NOW." the Stranger ordered.

"What is it?"

"_**Just hide!**_" he demanded, putting some power into his voice. Dr. Strange immediately complied, rushing into the bedroom and shutting the door. As soon as the door was shut, the Stranger raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Dr. Strange heard this and raised an eyebrow before he felt a tingling sensation all over his body. Looking down he saw that his body had completely disappeared. He let out a gasp, only to find that he could no longer speak.

Turning towards the door, the Stranger clenched his hands into fists, a determined look on his face. As he waited, the sounds of calm footsteps could be heard in the hall. They steadily grew louder until the stopped right in front of the door. Suddenly, the door began to bulge inward. There was a loud crack as the door was flung off its hinges into the apartment, straight at the Stranger. As the door was about to hit him, the Stranger merely batted it away, sending it crashing into the kitchen.

Within the door stood a man, who appeared to be in his thirties, with long, wavy brown hair and a brown goatee. He wore a purple tunic which he secured with a belt around his waste. He was also wearing a pair of tight green pants. He grinned wickedly as he walked through the door.

"Mordru," hissed the Stranger.

"Stranger?" asked Mordru, raising an eye brow, "Now what, pray tell, are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I mean, this isn't the most fitting place for a Lord of Chaos."

"I was told that a very important person lives here."

"Well, I'm the only person here, and I do consider myself pretty important, so this must be my apartment."

"Funny," chuckled Mordru before his face became darkly serious, "Where is he Stranger?"

"Where's who?" replied the Stranger, feigning ignorance.

"The Sorcerer Supreme," growled Mordru.

"I don't know," said the Stranger, shrugging, "The place was empty when I got here."

"You know what, Stranger?" said Mordru, "I think you're lying. I think you know where he is. And I think you're going to tell me. Right now."

"I think not."

"Oh," stated Mordru, slowly shaking his head, "Such the wrong thing to say."

At that, Mordru made a shooing motion with his hand, sending both the Stranger and a good portion of Dr. Strange's apartment flying out into the open space. Twisting in midair, the Stranger landed hard on his feet on the street below but remained unharmed. As the ruins of the apartment fell to the street, the Stranger waved his hand, causing an invisible force to bat the falling debris away from him.

"Do really want to fight me here," shouted Mordru from the hole he just blasted in the wall, "in the middle of this city?"

"I will if I have to, Mordru!" retorted the Stranger, clutching his hands into fists, causing them to glow white with power.

"Fine." Mordru stated as he rose into the air. As he did, the sky suddenly became filled with storm clouds at surprising speed. Lightning began to flash as the winds picked up and the rains started to pour down. "Have it your way then."

As Mordru glided to the ground, he extended his arm towards the Phantom Stranger. As he did, three bolts of lightning followed his gesture and struck the Stranger in the chest, sending him flying through the window of a convenience store across the street. As Mordru touched down, the Stranger stepped back through the window, brushing off his jacket and looking completely unharmed. He stopped a few feet away from Mordru and swung his arms toward him, causing the shards of glass from the window to fly at Mordru. Mordru merely made a sweeping motion with his arm, causing a blast of magic energy to shoot out from him. When it hit the shards of glass, they burst apart, instantly becoming sand. Making a swirling motion with his hands, the sand condensed into a swirling ball between Mordru's hands. When all the sand had been gathered into his hands, Mordru made a pushing motion, causing the sand to shoot out as a high condensed jet at the Phantom Stranger. Stranger crossed his arms to protect himself, but the blast shot him into the wall of a nearby apartment building. Mordru then made a gripping motion with hand, causing the sand to condense around the Stranger, trapping him. Mordru then slowly raised his arm, causing the globe of sand with the Stranger to rise as well. With an evil grin, Mordru clenched his hand into a fist, causing the sand globe to implode with amazing force. The Stranger fell unceremoniously to the ground, where began slowly picking himself up from the crushing attack.

At this point, Dr. Strange's curiosity had gotten the better of him and he had left his bedroom. After he got over the sight of his destroyed apartment he looked through the hole onto the battle below. The sight of Mordru standing over the Phantom Stranger sent chills down his spine, but what he saw next nearly froze him solid. The people in the other building had fallen suite with him and were gathered outside to get a look at the battle. To his horror, Mordru noticed them as well.

A sinister smile crossed Mordru's face. He raised his hands above his head and began to rotate them. As he did, the ruins from the battle began to gather together behind him. As it did, it began to take shape, forming a humanoid shaped mass of rubble standing ten feet tall. A crud mouth appeared on its even cruder head, as two red 'eyes' shone through pieces of glass.

"Now I'll have to show you the price of your insolence, Phantom Stranger. And the cost will be in blood," he said wickedly, before turning to the behemoth behind him, and saying, "Kill every Muggle you can find."

The golem let out a monstrous roar as the people around it screamed and ran for cover. Folding his arms, Mordru chuckled maliciously as he walked towards Phantom Stranger who had regained his footing and was prepared to continue the fight.

"Just tell me where he is Stranger," said Mordru nonchalantly, "and I'll stop all this. Where is the Sorcerer Supreme?"

As soon as he asked the question, he was struck from behind by an invisible force. He tumbled to the ground, feeling the weight of a person on top of him. Something began pounding his face; almost as if someone one was beating him with their fists. Mordru's eyes glowed with power before he backhanded his invisible attacker. A cloud of dust a few feet away announced its silent landing.

"Now," he said, climbing to his feet and whipping the blood away from his now busted lip, "let's see what we have here."

He made a gripping motion with his hands and mocked the motion of pulling a sheet off someone's head. When he did, the form of Stephen Strange pulling himself to his feet was revealed. Mordru's wicked grin became even wider.

"Dr. Strange?" he said, letting out a little chuckle as he did.

"What's it to you?" asked Dr. Strange, his resolve unyielding.

"It doesn't mean much to me," began Mordru, who then pointed over Strange's shoulder, "but it does to him."

Strange turned to find the golem that Mordru had created moments before, towering above him. It let out a bellowing roar, before it raised it arms above its head, preparing to crush him. Dr. Strange raised his hands to protect himself. Just as it brought its hands down, a bolt of pure white energy slammed into its head destroying it. Turning around, Dr. Strange saw the Phantom Stranger standing with his hand raised, light smoke slowly rising from his palm.

"Don't even think about it," stated the Stranger as he lowered his hand. The creature, however, did not fall. Instead, the empty space began to glow with energy before the stones began to recollect themselves, reforming the golems head. The Stranger quickly raised both his hands, which began to glow white with power. He was about to fire again, when he was struck aside by a blast of energy. He rolled a few feet before coming to a halt facedown on the street. Mordru slowly lowered his still smoking hand, smiling cheekily as he whispered "Oops."

The golem let out a deafening roar as its head fully reformed and it charged at Dr. Strange. Strange was able to dodge out of the way as the golem smashed its hand where he had been standing moments before. As Strange lifted himself back onto his feat, he was backhanded by the golem, sending him sprawling. To Dr. Strange the world seemed to be spinning. He could barely make out the thundering footsteps of the golem coming to finish him off. Soon, the golem was looming over him, like an executioner over a criminal. He couldn't make sense of what Mordru said to it, but in response, it raised its arms above its head, prepared to crush him like a bug. As it swung down on him, time seemed to move in slow motion.

"So this is it, huh?" he thought, "Crushed by the magically animated remnants of what used to be my apartment. I guess not many people can say they died like that. Yep, this is it. Wait. This is it? After all that's happened this evening, I'm going to die here? I barely even know what's going on! Why is this guy trying to kill me? Why did I find out about this magic stuff now? Why did my dad die? Why me!?! There are too many questions still left unanswered! I can't let it end like this! I have to do something! I can't die yet! I WON'T DIE YET!"

Just as the golem was about to crush Dr. Strange, Strange let out a mighty roar. As he did a powerful blast of magic energy exploded from his body. The blast destroyed the golem's arms and sent it flying back through the air. Dr. Strange now lay in a smoking crater a few feet deep. He slowly rose to his feet, steam rising from him and his tattered clothes. His eyes were glowing white with power as raw magical energy crackled in his hands.

Mordru's face was twisted in rage, magical energy condensing in his hands as well. The golem slowly rose to its feet, its arms beginning to regenerate. With a cry, Mordru sent a powerful bolt of magic at Strange, but the Doctor merely swatted aside like a bug. Mordru fired more bolts in quick succession, but Strange batted them all away. By now, the golem's arms had regenerated and it began charging Strange. Seeing it, Strange simply held his hands out in front of him and channeled his power there. With a shout, he fired the energy, which shot out as a solid stream of magical energy as thick as he was tall. The blast decimated the golem and would have done the same to Mordru if he hadn't put a Shield Charm up to defend himself. Instead he was sent flying backwards a good dozen feet before falling to the ground as a crumpled heap, unconscious with his clothes in taters and his numerous cuts and bruises covering his body.

Strange slowly lowered his hands, the strength suddenly leaving his body. He pitched forward, completely drained, only to be caught by the waiting arms of the Phantom Stranger.

"Whoa there Doctor," said the Stranger as he caught him, "easy does it."

"Thanks," he replied, allowing the Stranger to help him back to his feet, his strength slowly returning. "So was that stuff I just did-?"

"Magic? Yes. Impressive magic at that."

"Really?"

"Well you did just blow away a Self-Regenerating Golem, cut through a high level shield charm like it wasn't even there and knocked one of the most powerful wizards in existence flat on his ass. So yeah I'd say that was pretty good for your first day."

Strange smiled and looked at the Stranger for the first time since they started talking. He was amazed to see that the Stranger was virtually unharmed. Even his clothes looked untouched.

"Wait. Weren't you just in a climatic magical battle?" he asked.

"I went easy on him." replied the Stranger, shrugging.

"What! I had to come in and save you!"

"How do you know I needed saving?"

Dr. Strange was about to retort when the air was filled with a series of loud popping sounds. Looking to his side, Strange saw that the once empty street was now filled with people. At least two dozen men in black cloaks with black clothes under them stood in rigid formation, wands in their hands. Their hoods where drawn up, concealing their faces. On the breast of their cloaks was monogrammed the letters, "B.O.M".

"Friends of yours?" Strange asked.

"Agents of the Bureau of Magic." explained the Stranger. "So yeah, more or less."

As they spoke, the ranks of agents separated and a young, Middle Eastern man walked towards them.

"Ibis," greeted the Stranger, "What brings you here?"

"Dr. Fate asked me to accompany the agents here when the report of a magical disturbance in the area came in. He figured it had to have something to do with your mission."

"Good guess. Ibis I'd like to introduce you to Dr. Stephen Strange. Dr. Strange, Ibis the Invincible."

"My friends call me Danny." replied Ibis, extending his hand, which Dr. Strange happily took.

"So, Stranger, what's the situation here?" asked Ibis after shaking Strange's hand.

"Well as you can see, the whole area needs repairs and there are some Muggles who need their memories wiped. And we need to get Mordru to a high level containment area before he wakes up."

"So that's who you were fighting. Nice job." commented Ibis.

"It wasn't me. It was the Doctor here." explained the Stranger.

"Really?" asked Ibis.

"Yeah," replied Dr. Strange, blushing with embaressment.

"That's pretty impressive. Well I'll let you guys go. It looks like we have our work cut out for us." stated Ibis before he turned and began shouting order at the agents.

"What's a Muggle?" asked Strange.

"Non-magic folk," replied the Stranger rather matter-of-factly before continuing "Well we'd better get going."

"Going? Where are we going?"

"To see Dr. Fate, he's the one who will explain everything to you."

"Should I grab anything from my-" Strange started, before turning and seeing the gaping hole in his apartment, "Oh right, never mind."

"Don't worry; you won't need any of your stuff where we're going anyway. You ready to go?" the Stranger asked, holding out his hand.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Strange replied taking the Stranger's hand, before turning back and observing the destruction that the battle had caused, "I'm just glad that its over."

"Oh no Doctor, this is only the beginning." stated the Stranger, as he snapped his fingers. Then, in a flash of light, they were gone.

A/N: Wow, this took a long time to write. It didn't help that I wrote half of the next chapter before I decided I should write this one first. Good news is that the next chapter will be out soon. Hope you all don't mind that I delved deep into the comic universes to find some characters. If you don't know someone just check Wikipedia, that's where I got all my info. I hope you like the back stories to the characters, including the retelling of the Specter and the Sorcerer Supreme.

Bonus points to those who know the different magical entities I mentioned in the scene in the meeting chamber (Wikipedia knows all!). More bonus points to those who know what non-comic show one of Mordru's attacks is from. Finally, extreme amounts of bonus points to those who can figure out who the Specter's champion is!

As a side note, I went back and changed some things in the last chapters, mainly Constantine's and Zatanna's ages in the last chapter.

Please review and until next time, later True Believers!


	6. Baptism by Fire

Disclaimer: I own jack squat.

**Chapter 6: Baptism by Fire**

_May 5__th__, 2006, Smallville, Kansas_

_Let me light up the sky,_

_Light it up for you._

_Let me tell you why,_

_I would die for you._

_Let me light up the sky,_

_Light it up for you._

_Let me make this mine,_

_I'll ignite for you,_

-Light up the sky, Yellowcard

The clouds floated lazily above Kansas, back dropped by a clear blue sky. A gentle wind blew across the countryside, causing the corn rows of one particular farm to swish and sway. At the center of the corn field sat a water tower roughly 20 feet in height. On top of the tower, a figure lay, watching the clouds roll by. The figure was a young man, roughly 16 years of age. He was tall for his age and of average build. He had short, wavy black hair and amazingly blue eyes. He wore an open flannel shirt with a white t-shirt beneath it, blue jeans and white sneakers.

Clark Kent sighed as he felt the warm spring air blowing across his face. He had his hands behind his head as he spent his Saturday morning watching the clouds float by. Suddenly, his ear twitched, as if it was picking up a noise. Sitting up, Clark looked off in the direction of the noise, eyes narrowed in concentration. A black Sedan was driving down the road. The thing was that the Sedan was still a long ways off. Farther than a normal person could see. But Clark had never exactly been 'normal.'

As Clark recognized the vehicle, his face lit up with excitement. He stood up and took a few steps back from the edge, before running full sprint and leaping off the edge. Clark soared through the air, covering an incredible distance, rising a good ten feet above where he had leaped at the peak of the jump. As he came down, he merely stumbled a little, as one might when one leaped off a 5-ft wall, before he continued running, oblivious to the fact that he had just survived a fall of 30 feet unscathed or that he had covered half a foot ball field horizontally in his leap. Running at incredible speeds, Clark tore through the corn field, causing the stalks to ripple in his wake. As Clark continued to increase in speed, his feet seemed to skim over the ground…and then they weren't touching at all. Clark flailed his arms about as the sudden disorientation from his unplanned takeoff. Quickly, he steadied himself, holding his arms above his head and snapping his feet together. His flight steadied, Clark took off even faster than before.

Seconds later, Clark burst through the fields and out onto the road…and right into the path of the oncoming Sedan. Clarks eyes widened in surprise as the car bared down on him. The driver slammed on the breaks, but could not stop fast enough. Just as the car was about to hit him, Clark took off from the ground, flying a good 10ft into the air as the car passed harmlessly beneath him. The two men in the car breathed a sigh of relief before continuing on towards the house. As the drove, Clark flew up next to them, looking through the passenger window. Grinning widely, he waved at the occupants. The passenger smiled and raised his hand in greeting. The driver just gave him a stern glance before turning his attention back to the road. Clark chuckled before taking off ahead of the car, touching down and racing up the front porch.

Throwing open the door, he shouted into the house, "MA!! PA!! The agents are back!!"

Turning back around, Clark rushed off the porch as the Sedan pulled into the driveway. Moments later, Martha and Jonathan Kent came out as well. The two had grown older since adopting Clark. Both now had graying hair and wrinkles upon their skin. A pair of glasses now sat on Jonathan's nose. As they descended from the porch, the two men in the Sedan were just stepping out of their car. Both Agent's K and D had grown older as well, each sporting more wrinkles along with D's now gray hair. As they stepped out, Clark rushed to greet them.

"Agent K! Agent D! It's good to see you again!" exclaimed Clark as he reached out his hand to shake their hands.

Smiling, D took the youth's hand, "It's good to see you again to Clark. Wow, that's quite the grip you got their son! Be careful not to break anything!"

Clark smiled sheepishly, before turning to Agent K with his hand out stretched. Receiving only a stern stare, Clark immediately stopped smiling before saying, "Uhhh….good to see you Agent K, sir."

"That was a dangerous stunt you pulled back their son, I would hope you don't go racing around town with as much reckless abandon, do you?"

"N-no sir."

"That's good. See to it that it doesn't happen again."

"Yes sir."

Nodding his head, K turned his attention to Martha and Jonathan. "Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent." K greeted them with a nod.

"Agent K, Agent D," replied Jonathan, nodding to each in turn.

"It's good to see you folks again." said D with a smile.

"It's good to see you two again as well," responded Martha, before turning to head back inside, "Now, you two must be hungry after your long trip. How about I go cook something up while you two talk with Clark?"

"That would be great Mrs. Kent," replied D as the four men turned to follow her inside.

"So these things leap on your face…and lay legs in your body?" asked Jonathan. The five of them were sitting at the Kent's dining room table, the remains of their lunches in front of them. Clark had begun asking questions about K and D's time with the MIB. D was currently describing one of the nastier creatures that he and K had encountered.

"Yep, then in a few hours the egg hatches and the larva eats your eternal organs before bursting out of your chest, a couple hours later and you've got yourself a fully grown Xenophage running around," explained D.

"These creatures sound horrible!" exclaimed Martha.

"Indeed they are," continued K, "their like insects, they only exist to feed and multiply. If left uncheck they could overrun an entire planet in a matter of weeks."

"So you've fought these things before?" Clark asked wide eyed.

"Yeah, there was a small infestation in New York a few years ago. God, that was a nasty clean up. Though if you want to see nasty, let me tell you about these things called the Brood…"

Before he could continue, a beeping sound came from K and D's pockets. Reaching into them, they both pulled out small devices. Pushing a button on the device, the round screen at the top of the device flashed on. Clark looked over D's shoulder to get a better look. He saw a man around K and D's age dressed in a similar black suit. He was stout with brown hair and a trim beard.

"What's up Zed?" asked D

"K, D, you still at the Kent residence?" Zed asked.

"We are," responded K.

"Good, I've got a mission for you around there."

"What is it?"

"We have received information that the renegade Lantern Sinestro maybe in the area. Lantern Jordan and Nova Rider have been sent to apprehend him. You are to rendezvous with them at the following coordinates in two hours and aid them in his capture. Any questions?"

"No sir," replied K and D.

"Good," said Zed before looking over D's shoulder at Clark.

"Good to see you son," he said with a smile before the screen turned off. Clark just waved, a stunned expression on his face.

"Come on D," said K, rising from his seat and heading for the door.

"Sorry to cut this short guys, but you know, duty calls." D apologized with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Think nothing of it D," replied Jonathan, holding up his hands in a calming gesture, "You to just go protect us from the scum of the universe or whatever it is that you do."

"Hey D, when Zed said 'Lantern', did he mean 'Green Lantern' as is in the Green Lantern Corps?" asked Clark with wonder.

"Sure did, kid!" replied D, with a smile.

"Wow! That's awesome!" Clark replied excitedly. He remembered all to well the stories that the agents had told him about the fabled Green Lantern Corps. Long ago, a group of highly advanced aliens known as the Guardians of the Universe, decided to take it upon themselves to try and rid the universe of crime and corruption. To do so, they created a powerful energy source with which they powered a set of weapons known as power rings. A wielder of one of these rings could perform a countless number of feats with the energy, from simple blasts and shields to intricate constructs. They called these wielders, Green Lanterns after the color of the energy and the lantern-like shape of the 'power batteries' that the Lanterns' used to recharge. The Guardians divided the space controlled by the Alliance of United Planets into 3600 sectors, assigning two Lanterns two police each sector. The Lantern was chosen by the power rings themselves, which were programmed the bravest and honest person in a sector and present itself to him or her. Since its inception, the Lanterns have been celebrated across the universe as heroes and law bringers.

But the Green Lantern Corps wasn't the only group of intergalactic law enforcement. Working alongside the Lantern Corps was a group known as the Nova Corps. The Nova Corps was set up in response to the overwhelming number of people who wished to become Green Lanterns, but couldn't because of the Corps' strict two per sector rule. The Guardians realized that these eager applicants could be used to fight evil just as much the Green Lantern Corps could. So the Guardians set up the Nova Corps, a brother group to the Lantern Corps whose membership was open to all willing to serve. Each member, known simply as a Nova, were equipped with a suit of specialized armor, which increased the wearers physical abilities to incredible levels as well as granting them interplanetary flight. This choice of weaponry was made in a similar vein as the choice to have two Lanterns per sector. The Guardians wished to remain a benevolent entity in the eyes of the people and so by limiting the power of their agents they hoped to been scene in the image they strived to attain, guardian rather than authoritarian.

D smiled before following K out the door. Before leaving, D called over his shoulder, "We'll check back with you in a few months. See you guys then!"

"We hope to Agent D," replied Martha as D walked through the door.

After they left, Clark sat back down, a smile on his face. Turning to Jonathan he said, "They're really something, aren't they Pa?"

"They sure are, son."

"I hope I could be like them when I get older. You know, use my powers to protect people like they do."

"That's a wonderful thought, dear" said Martha, who had begin to clear the dishes.

"Who knows maybe you'll go on missions with them someday," stated Jonathan, who had taken out the paper and begun reading it.

A look of realization spread across Clark's face. Looking over at Jonathan he said excitedly, "You're right Pa!"

Clark jumped to his feet before racing out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Reaching the top he raced down the hall, he ran into his room, closing the door behind him. Clark's room was modest, with a bed, desk and a dresser. A closet sat in one wall and a window looking over the corn fields sat in another. Above Clark's bed hung two posters, each depicting one of Clark's role models.

The one to the right was the oldest and depicted Captain America, holding his shield above his head, with rays of light streaming from behind him. Jonathan had told Clark many stories about the Captain and his Howling Commando's and how they had fought to defend America's freedoms. It always saddened Clark when he thought of how Cap had died during the war, though not many people knew the exact details.

The one on the left, however, depicted Clark's personal hero. The poster showed a man with shoulder-length, wavy blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a yellow costume with a pair of blue short shorts, blue boots, and a blue cape. On his belt buckle was a stylized 'S'.

This was the hero known as the Sentry. He was a hero who had lived in Metropolis during the early 90's. He had been gifted with a number of great powers, which, as Clark always loved to point out to his parents, where remarkably similar to his own developing powers. Nicknamed, "the Golden Guardian" by the media, he had defended the people of Metropolis for years from the worst the criminal underworld had to offer. Then after a battle with his archenemy, a being known only as The Void, on the outskirts of Metropolis, he simply disappeared, without any explanation as to how or why. The Void also suddenly disappeared and thus the people of Metropolis believed that either they had destroyed one another in their final battle or that the Sentry defeated the Void and took him somewhere far away, for the greater good of all. Either way, Metropolis mourned the loss of its hero and held out hope that one day he would return to defend them again.

Clark quickly went to his closet and took a duffel bag out of it. He raced over to his dresser and pulled out some close which he stuffed into his bag. Zipping it up, he threw it over the shoulders. He threw a glance at the posters on the wall before running out of his room, down the stairs and out the door.

"MA! PA!" he yelled over his shoulder, "I'M GOING TO PETE'S HOUSE!"

"ALRIGHT CLARK!" Martha shouted back, "MAKE SURE YOU'RE BACK BEFORE SUPPER!"

"OKAY!"

With that, Clark ran off, sprinting at full speed…only he wasn't headed in the direction to Pete's house. 

_That Evening_

The sun had gone down over Kansas and the stars were jest beginning to come out. In an empty field patiently stood two men, both dressed in black suits and sunglasses, looking up at the evening sky.

"They're late," muttered K, glancing at his watch.

"They'll be here." spoke D.

"They were supposed to be here two minutes ago."

"Sorry that we're not all as punctual as you, Agent K." stated a voice from behind the agents. Turning they saw a man floating in the air, slowly descending to the ground. He was a Caucasian man, apparently in his early twenties, with short brown hair and an athletic build. He wore a form fitting green uniform with black leggings and arms and a green, lantern shaped symbol displayed on his chest, green boots, white gloves and a green domino mask on his face. He was surrounded by a bright green glow which seemed to emanate from the glowing green ring on his clenched right hand.

Following him was another Caucasian man. He appeared to be of the same age as the first man with an athletic build. He wore a blue uniform with s gold belt and gold gloves that ended in spikes at the elbow. He wore a golden helmet with a red star-shaped design on the front that concealed most of his face, except for his mouth. There were three disks in a triangle pattern on his chest and two on the back of his hands that glowed green with power.

"Lantern Jordan and Nova Rider?" asked D.

"What took you?" asked K.

"Are you kidding?" asked Nova, incredulously.

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" retorted K, giving Nova a stern glance.

"That's enough K," said D, trying to turn the conversation away from where it was headed, "How has Alan been doing, Hal?"

"He's doing fine, D. He and his wife just had twins, a boy and a girl."

"Wow, that's great! Looks like he picked a good time to retire. Tell them I say congrats."

"Sure will D."

"How's his replacement coming?" asked K in an impassive tone.

"John Stewart? He's coming along nicely; hopefully he will be ready for active duty in a few months."

"Well I hope you can handle being the sole Lantern in the sector until then."

"Don't worry K;" stepped in Nova, "Hal can handle himself, besides he has the likes of me to back him up."

"If I'm not mistaken, this is your first mission, isn't it Nova Rider?" retorted K evenly. Nova scratched the back of his head and said nothing, obviously embarrassed.

"I don't think you have to worry K," Hal said, stepping to Nova defense, "Rick scored highest in the Nova Corps academy and was chosen by Rhomann Dey himself, one of the best Nova's in the business. Besides, it was the M.I.B's request that the Guardians only send human members of the Corps to Earth, and Rick is the only human in the Nova Corps."

"Sounds good enough to me." stated D.

"Well, if we're done fraternizing here, how about you tell us more about our mission." said K.

Hal's face became hardened, before he nodded and began his explanation. "We have received reports that the renegade Lantern Sinestro was spotted coming to Earth and we were able to track him to this area."

"How were you able to track him?" asked D

"Sinestro's Qwardian power ring gives off a very unique energy signature, making him easy to track." explained Nova.

"Qward?" asked K, "I thought that was the planet he was sentenced to after his trial for enslaving his home planet."

"It was," elaborated Hal, "As you know, the residents of the planet Qward have had a long standing feud with the Guardians. They thought that by sentencing Sinestro to the planet that the residents would carry out the punishment for them. What they didn't expect was that Sinestro's own hatred of the Corps would cause them to embrace him instead of hate him. So they designed a power ring of their own, running of a power source we have yet to identify and gave it to him. Since then, he's been terrorizing the galaxy, doing as much damage to the Corps and the Alliance as he can."

"And that's what's brought you here." finished K.

"Precisely."

"But why come to Kansas? What can he do here?" asked D.

"Sinestro doesn't know Earth that well. He never had to come here and there aren't many Alliance files on it, seeing as were still very small on the galactic scene. He probably just came here because it was the closest side of the planet to him upon his arrival."

While Hal was explaining things, there was an odd rustling in a nearby bush. The others took no notice of it, but K eyed it suspiciously. Bending down as if to tie his shoes, he picked up a good size rock and palmed it, before straightening up. As Hal finished his explanation, K began to nonchalantly walk around the group, getting closer to the bush.

"Well," he began, "It seems now we know everything we need to know. We should begin our search. But first." K suddenly whirled around, flinging the stone at the bush. Instead of a rustling and the sound of the stone hitting the ground, there was a cracking sound as the stone burst into tiny pieces. The sound of a muffled "Uh-oh" could be heard coming from the bush.

"Come out Clark, I know you're in there," ordered K. As he did, Clark emerged from the bush, wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up.

"What are you doing here, kid?" demanded D.

"I-I wanted to see if I could help. This Sinestro sounds like a really bad guy." Clark explained

"Who's he?" asked Nova.

"This is Clark Kent, he's one of the M.I.B's charges. He lives in the area." explained K, a stern look on his face.

"You're an alien?" asked Green Lantern. Clark nodded in response. "We're you from?"

"He doesn't know." answered K, "He arrived as a baby and we've never been able to crack the technology that came with him, nor the identify any of the substance that piggy-backed on his space ride here."

"That's a really good disguise you've got there." commented Nova. Clark only looked at him with a confused look on his face.

"It's not a disguise," explained D, "That's what he really looks like."

Green Lantern looked shocked, "He looks exactly like a human naturally?" he asked, before an idea struck him, "What did the ship he come in look like? What was the substance you said came with him?"

"His ship was far beyond anything we've ever scene, including any incredibly advanced engine we believe could move far faster than any other ship, far beyond the speed of light. As for the substances, they where a large number of glowing crystal minerals, most green in color, that were scattered all across the planet when Clark's ship arrived. We're not sure of their properties, only that it hurts the kid if he gets near it." explained D.

Green Lantern had a very thoughtful look on his face, "Would you mind if I had a look at your ship after this is all over?" he asked Clark.

"Sure, the M.I.B could never figure out how to get it to work, so they hid it in the back of our barn. But why do you want to see it?" questioned Clark.

"Because I think I might now where you came from." answered Green Lantern, placing his hand on Clark's shoulder.

"R-Really!?! Y-you can?" Clark stammered, a shocked look on his face.

"Too bad you'll never get to tell him, my old pupil." a sinister voice said from the shadows. Suddenly, a man appeared, outlined in a yellow light. He had short black hair and glowing yellow eyes. His skin was dull red and he had pointed ears. He wore a black bodysuit with blue shorts, boots, wrist guards and collar with a jagged, spiked design. The bodysuit showed off his athletic physique. On his clenched right hand he wore a glowing yellow ring.

"Sinestro!" shouted Green Lantern. He raised his hand and fired a beam of green energy. Sinestro merely raised his hand and a globe of yellow energy formed around him, causing the beam to ricochet harmlessly off.

"Firing the first shot Hal, that's against Corps policy. Besides you know that your power ring doesn't work against anything yellow. I thought I taught you better than this."

"What are you doing on Earth?" demanded Nova.

"Oh and you've brought one of those useless Novas with you. Tell me son, what's it like when you fond out you weren't good enough to be a Green Lantern." Sinestro mocked, ignoring the question. Nova visibly shook with anger.

"You didn't answer his question." stated K, who had drawn a futuristic-looking hand gun and pointed it at Sinestro. D had done the same.

"And you must be the local law enforcement. Well if you must know, I've come to do what your kind have failed to do. From what Hal's told me about this planet, you are a horribly backward and barbaric race. You can't make a decision as a race without killing each other first. So I've come to change that. I've come to bring peace to this mud ball of a planet." explained Sinestro, a malevolent grin on his face.

"By enslaving it like you did your own!?!" shouted Green Lantern.

"I did what was necessary to bring order. That's our job remember? To bring order. It's just that realized that meant through any means necessary. Like this." As he said this, he raised his hand and fired a bolt of energy at Green Lantern. He dove to the side, but the bolt still grazed his shoulder, leaving a small cut.

"Face it Hal, you can't beat me." mocked Sinestro, "You can't even touch me because of your ring's, 'yellow imperfection.'"

"He might not be able to," roared Nova as he flew at Sinestro, "but I as sure as hell can!"

Cocking his arm back, Nova threw a haymaker punch at Sinestro, only to have it blocked by the glowing energy surrounding Sinestro. Sinestro smiled wickedly before he made an energy construct in the shape of a fist and smashed it into Nova's face. As Nova stumbled back, the fist opened up and grabbed Nova's head. It pulled him sharply down, smashing his face into Sinestro's knee. Sinestro then tossed Nova viciously to the side, sending him sprawling to the dirt ground. As Nova tried to get to his feet, Sinestro formed a hammer above him, preparing to crush him, when he was struck in the back by two energy blast sending him falling to the ground with a grunt, the low-level energy shield constantly covering his body taking most of the impact.

Turning, Sinestro glared at the two M.I.B. agents standing a few feet away, pointing their weapons at him.

"Don't even think about it," K said.

Sinestro raised his hand to fire at the agents, but stopped when he saw a large sized chunk of stone wrapped in green energy came screaming at his head. Snarling, Sinestro swung his arm at it, causing a sharp blade of energy to slice it in half, causing it to miss him entirely.

"Very good, my old student," praised Sinestro as he looked at Green Lantern standing a few feet away, another chunk of earth floating in a green bubble nearby, "Using indirect forms of attack to overcome your ring's innate weakness. I'm glad you picked up something as your time as my pupil."

"I'm just glad that I didn't pick up your twisted sense of-" Hal's retort was interrupted when Sinestro was blindsided by a black blur. Sinestro flew through the air a few yards before he righted himself midair, in time to see Clark stumbling as he slowed down.

"You shouldn't interrupt your elders, boy," Sinestro snarled, raising his hand and firing a blast at Clark, who quickly leapt out of the way. Sinestro followed up with a series of rapidly fired energy blast, forcing Clark to retreat using his super speed. Sinestro moved to follow but was forced on the defensive when K and D opened up on him with their laser guns as Green Lantern formed a few energy claws which were throwing large chunks of earth at Sinestro.

Sinestro threw up an energy shield to defend himself from the onslaught. Keeping the shield up, Sinestro charged up some energy before he slammed his fist into the ground, dispersing the energy.

"Move!" shouted Green Lantern as he grabbed the two agents and flew into the air, just as a huge spike of yellow energy shot out of the ground where they had been standing. As Green Lantern flew to safety, the spike grew smaller spikes off the larger one, like an old tree and they continued to split off in Green Lantern's direction. Right as they were about to skewer him and the agents, it suddenly stopped growing. The spike began to glow and hum with power as the air sparked with energy. Hal's eyes widened before he threw up an energy shield right as the spike exploded into a huge fireball, lighting up the surrounding field and creating a huge shockwave that knocked Green Lantern out of the air and Nova and Clark back a few yards. The explosion also left a large crater in the ground, and burned off a lot of the surrounding foliage. The smoke cleared to reveal Sinestro floating above the crater with a smug look on his face.

Nova rose to his feet and looked at Clark, who was a few feet away and virtually unscathed.

"Hey kid," Nova called, catching Clark's attention "are you just fast or do you have other tricks up your sleeve?"

Instead of answering, Clark just smiled before he began to hover above the ground and smashed his fist into his hand.

"That's what I like to hear." Nova replied with a grin.

Sinestro floated in the air, surveying the landscape when suddenly he was tackled by two flying figures. Nova and Clark began beating on Sinestro's personal shield as they rocketed through the air. As they attempted to break through his shield, Sinestro gathered his energy and expanded the shield outward, sending Clark and Nova flying back. As the two recovered midair, Sinestro struck them with two energy fists, slamming both of them into the ground. The hands the grabbed them both by the throats and began to squeeze. Both Clark and Nova struggled against the hands, grasping at the energy strands that connected the hands to Sinestro's power ring.

"Stop struggling," commanded Sinestro, "not even Nova's power armor is strong enough to…"

Sinestro stopped as Clark's muscles began to bulge…before he literally, ripped the energy construct in half, dispersing it. Sinestro was so shocked that he lost concentration on the other hand, dropping Nova to the ground, where he began gasping for air. Right after he broke through, Clark flew full throttle at Sinestro and threw a punch at his jaw. The punch was stronger than before as it was able to just break through the shield, causing Sinestro to lose his yellow outline, and clip him in the jaw which sent him tumbling to the ground.

Sinestro lifted himself to his feet and wiped his hand on the back of his fist. Looking at his blood, Sinestro began to smile. Clark froze when he saw this.

"So," stated Sinestro, "looks like Hal was right. You're one of them."

"One of who?" asked Clark

"Strange though," Sinestro continued, ignoring Clark's question, "seeing as there's suppose to be extinct."

"W-what?" asked Clark, stunned.

"You didn't know? Well I guess news doesn't get around much in this backwater corner of the universe." Sinestro commented.

"What are you talking about!?!" Clark roared.

"You're the last one, boy" Sinestro, said buntly, "There are none of your kind left. You're all alone."

Clark stood rooted in place, took shocked to speak.

"I can't imagine the pain you're in right now. The knowledge must be horrible. Here," said Sinestro, raising his hand and pointing his ring at Clark, who stood their stunned, "let me put you out of your misery."

A pointed bolt of energy shot out of his ring, straight at Clark's chest.

During the time that Clark and Sinestro had been talking, Hal and the agents had recovered from Sinestro's attack and rushed up to aid Clark. Just as the bolt is about to strike Clark, D tackled him out of the way.

"Wake up, Clark!" D shouted after they landed, trying to shake Clark back to his senses, "This is no time to be day dreaming."

Leaving Clark lying on the ground, D got back to his feet and rejoined K and Hal who had begun attacking Sinestro. Sinestro put up an energy shield before he formed a large energy hand swung it horizontally, sweeping Green Lantern and the agents aside and sending them tumbling to the ground. Clark got to his feet just in time to see Sinestro point his ring at D, who was lying on the ground, struggling to get up.

"I grow tired of your meddling, Earthling." he snarled, "Now die!"

A bolt of energy shot out from Sinestro's ring, heading straight for D's chest.

"NO!" shouted Clark, racing towards D at full speed. Clark dove towards D, desperate to intercept the attack, but just as he reached D the bolt struck him in the chest, punching a hole in his chest and through his back.

"D! D! Come on D! Don't die! DON'T DIE!!" cried Clark, cradling the older man in his arms, his blood soaking into his sweatshirt and on his hands. But D just laid there, his mouth agape and a glassy look in his eyes. He was already dead. K, Green Lantern and Nova stood frozen in place, to shocked to do anything.

Sinestro laughed maniacally. "Give it up boy." he said, "The wretch is dead. And soon, you will be too."

He raised his hand and fired another bolt at Clark. Clark didn't even budge when the bolt struck him. There was now a large hole in his sweatshirt and smoke was rising from his back, but other then that, he was completely unharmed. Clark slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder at Sinestro, tears streaming down his face and rage in his eyes.

Slowly, Clark placed D's body on the ground and standing up, turned to face Sinestro. Sinestro looked at Clark shocked, before he snarled at him and shot a continuous beam of energy at Clark. Clark took the attack fully in the chest, the beam destroying his sweatshirt but not budging him an inch. Still staring daggers at Sinestro, Clark began marching towards him, fighting through the beam like someone wading through a river. Stopping in front of Sinestro, Clark grabbed his ring hand, the energy pouring out through the gaps between his fingers, and squeezed. Sinestro cried out in pain as Clark crushed his hand. Clenching his free hand into a fist, Clark pulled back and uppercut Sinestro in the chin, destroying his shield with ease, breaking his jaw and sending him flying through the air to land a few yards away in a disgruntled heap, unconscious.

Clark felt a hand on his shoulder. Whirling around he grabbed the person by the throat, only to meet the glowing eyes of the Green Lanterns.

"It's alright son," Green Lantern said in a calming voice, "It's alright. You got him."

"H-he killed him," stammered Clark, releasing Green lantern, sadness replacing anger in his eyes, "He killed D. And it's all my fault."

"No son, it's not." explained Green Lantern, placing his hands on Clark's shoulders, "Sinestro killed him, not you."

"But if I hadn't been here, D would never had had to pushed me out of the way and Sinestro wouldn't have-" Clark rambled.

"Clark," Hal interrupted, "you can't go thinking like that. In my line of work you learn a hard truth. You can't save everyone."

"Why can't I!" roared Clark, "What's the point of having these powers if I can't do anything right with them! I should have been able to save him! If I'd just trained my powers I would have been able to do something. I could have saved D."

"Beating yourself up over this won't bring D back, Clark." Green Lantern said calmly, "You can point out all your flaws, state everything you could have done differently but in the end it doesn't matter. You can't change what's already been done."

Clark just looked at his feet, tears streaming down his face.

"Come on son, let's get you home."

_A week later_

Clark sat on his bed, dressed in a black t-shirt and black pants. His curtains were drawn, casting the room in a strange twilight. He had a far away look in his eyes, deep in thought about what he had learned two days ago.

"_I'm a what?" asked Clark. He was currently seated at the kitchen table; the only other person in the room was the Green Lantern, seated in the chair across from him._

"_A Kryptonian." repeated Green Lantern._

"_Who are they?"_

"_They were a great race, allies of the Guardians of the Universe and one of the most advanced peoples in the entire universe."_

"_Wait." Clark held up a hand, confusion on his face, "You said 'were'. What do you mean 'were'?"_

_Green Lantern sighed, averting his eyes from Clark before continuing, "Around the year 1940, their planet, Krypton, was destroyed, killing them all."_

_Clark merely sat in his chair, shock apparent on his face._

"_H-how?" he managed to choke out._

"_It was destroyed by a being known as Galactus."_

"_What! Why!?!"_

"_Galactus requires the energy of planets that can support life to survive. It's what he is. You must understand this Clark. He didn't do it out of spite, he did it out of need."_

"_SO THAT JUSTIFIECS KILLING AN ENTIRE PEOPLE!!!" Clark roared._

"_No Clark it doesn't!" exclaimed Green Lantern, "But think about this. Do get mad at the clouds when there's a hurricane, the ground when there's an earthquake, the mountains when there's an avalanche? No! Well you can't get mad at Galactus either. He's a force of nature, a natural disaster. In fact he's better because he gives people warning before he comes, giving them time to get off the planet."_

"_Then why didn't the Kryptonians leave when they had the chance?" asked Clark._

"_There were a lot of reasons. Part of it was history. Krypton had been their home since before Earth was even formed. Another part was their arrogance. They thought they were advanced enough to keep Galactus at bay. And part of it was that they didn't want to go back on their self-exile." Green Lantern explained._

"_Self-exile?" questioned Clark._

"_Centuries before, the Kryptonians retreated to their home system. They adopted a philosophy of noninterference. They had had a few bad experiences were their attempts to try and aid another race ended horribly. So rather risk it again they vowed never to interfere with another race again. This meant that every Kryptonian was either on Krypton or its sister planet of Argos at the time of its distruction."_

"_Sister planet! Couldn't that mean-" Clark was stopped as Green Lantern shook his head._

"_The force of Krypton's destruction knocked Argos of orbit. Any Kryptonian on the planet was killed when it froze over in a matter of days."_

_Clark was very still. Tears were building up in his eyes. Slowly Green Lantern placed a hand on Clark's shoulder._

"_I'm so sorry Clark."_

_Clark looked in Green Lantern's eyes before wrenching his shoulder from his grip and bolting out of the room._

"_Clark!" Green Lantern shouted as the sound of the black door slamming shut reverberated through the room._

_Clark sped across the field behind his house, racing towards the barn. When he got there, he threw open the barn doors and made his way to the back of the barn. He stopped in front of a large, tarp covered object hidden behind some haystacks. Grabbing the tarp, he ripped it off, uncovering an alien object. The object was reminiscent of a football in shape, roughly five feet in length and constructed out of a sleek, silver-colored metal. A dome of tinted glass was located near its rear, close to the ship's single engine. Two grooves flanked its sides, where Clark knew wings folded out from. Across its front was painted in black, the shape of a stylized S contained in a diamond._

_Clark fell to his knees in front of the ship, tears streaming down his face. His hands began to shake, before he clenched them into fists and began to beat them against the front of the ship, which remained miraculously undamaged._

"_WHY!?!" he screamed, beating the ship, "Why!?! Why!?! Why!?! Why!?! WHY!?! Why me!?! Why was I sent here!?! Why am I so special!?!" Clark then collapsed into a weeping fit, hugging the ship tightly, "Who am I?" Clark wheezed. Suddenly, the symbol, which Clark currently had his face pressed against, began to glow brightly. Clark pulled back from the ship, a surprised look on his face. A hissing sound came from the ship as a panel, located on the symbol, receded into the ship, revealing a hidden compartment. The churning of motors could be heard as a glowing crystal was raised up. Slowly, Clark reached out and took the crystal. He felt a buzzing sensation in his hand as he did so. Suddenly, a blue cone of light shot out and scanned the room, including Clark's face. The crystal flashed green as it made a sound in confirmation. Then a blue light shot out of the tip of the crystal and continued on past the horizon. It was at this moment that Clark realized that he was looking through the barn wall. The crystal had somehow triggered his ability to look through solid objects. Closing his eyes, Clark concentrated. Opening them again, he found that his vision had returned to normal and the beam of light had disappeared. Clark stared at the crystal in wonderment_

Clark sighed, before reaching under his pillow and retrieving the crystal. Since he found it the day prior, he thought long and hard about what it all could mean. He had looked at the crystal with all his other superhuman visions powers but the only thing he could see was the single blue beam stretching out to the horizon under X-rays. Finally, he had come to one final and hard solution…he had to follow it.

Reaching under his bed, he grabbed his backpack and duffle bag, which he had stuffed with everything he thought he would need and put on his brown winter jacket before walking towards the door. He paused at the doorway, taking the time to look back at the posters of his two idols before nodding in confirmation of his own thoughts and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Slowly walking out the back door, Clark found his parents waiting for him…as well as Agent K. Green Lantern and Nova had already left, taking Sinestro to Oa for punishment. Clark had already told his parents of his plans, and after some arguments and tears, convinced them to let him go. Afterward, Clark said goodbye to his friends, stating he had to go away on a trip. K on the other hand was steadfast in his belief that Clark should stay. Though, to Clark, that meant it was the M.I.B.'s belief that he should stay. And why wouldn't they? He was stronger, faster, tougher, and could do things no one else could do. What self-respecting government agency would want someone like that running around uncontrolled? This made Clark wonder how much of K's apparent conscious had actually been D's. After his partner's death, K seemed to become even more unemotional than before. Clark didn't even remember seeing K cry over D's death.

He slowly walked down the porch stairs to bid his family-and K-goodbye. Jonathan had an arm around the weeping form of Martha, Clark's ship was bundled up in a tarp behind them.

"Ma, Pa, I guess I've got to be going," said Clark.

"I guess you do, son," answered Jonathan.

"Please Clark, there must be some other way," wept Martha.

"No, Ma there's not. I've got to find out where this leads me. This is my chance to learn more about where I come. To learn who I am."

"Your our son, isn't that enough?" begged Martha.

"I'm sorry Ma, but it's not. I have to do this."

"The boys right," stated Jonathan, "we agreed on this and we have to stand by our agreements."

Martha merely nodded, tears still streaming down his face.

"You may have agreed to this," spoke up K, "but I haven't."

"You mean the M.I.B. hasn't agreed to this," spat Jonathan.

"Clark isn't your property! He doesn't have to do what you say." said Martha bitterly.

"And I can't let someone like Clark run around unsupervised," retorted K.

Clark hugged both his parents before he brushed past K, picked up his ship with ease and rested it on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry K, but I have to do this, whether the M.I.B. likes it or not." he said.

K walked up and placed a firm hand on Clark's shoulder, "Son, I really I can't let you leave."

"Sir, there really isn't anything you can do about it." Clark retorted.

"That's where you're wrong Clark," K replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a lead case. Opening it, he revealed a green glowing rock. Clark gasped, before he felt all the strength leave his body and he collapsed to the ground.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!" screamed Martha.

"What's necessary," K replied, before pulling a device out of his pocket and pushed a button. Instantly, a number of M.I.B. agents poured out of the Kent's fields.

"What is this, K!?!" Jonathan demanded.

"If Clark isn't willing to stay with you, then we're forced to bring him to a place where he will stay." K explained coolly as agents moved in on the weakened Clark, weapons drawn and handcuff prepared.

"The hell you are!!" shouted Jonathan as he dove at K. Caught off guard, the agent was helpless as Jonathan tackled him to the ground, causing the Kryptonite and its case to slip from his grasp. Punching K in the jaw in order to make him stay down, Jonathan scrambled to his feet and rushed over to the Kryptonite shard. Stooping to pick it and its case up, he put the shard back in the case, pulled his arm back and threw the case as far as he could into the nearby field.

"Clark!" he yelled, "Go! Get out of here!"

Clark eyes snapped open as he felt his strength return. He quickly stood up and knocked the two closest agents away with his returned strength, sending them both sprawling. Quickly securing his bags and hoisting his ship back onto his shoulders, he raced into the fields before he soared out of them a few seconds later, flying into the sky and out of sight.

"DAMN IT!" cursed K as he got back up and wiped the blood from his busted lip. He ran over to an agent who wasn't currently pointing his weapon at Jonathan, who had his hands over his head.

"Please tell me that tracking chip I placed on his bag is working," he said.

"We're bringing it online right now," replied the agent, pulling out a hand held object with a digital screen and pushed a button, causing a yellow light to appear on the screen with coordinates to its location.

_Meanwhile_

Clark was tearing through the sky at speeds approaching the sound barrier, his bags and the tail of his jacket trailing behind him. Unbeknownst to him, an object the size of a pin head on the bottom of his backpack began to blink rapidly. It continued to blink before it suddenly began to spark and then stopped blinking entirely and fell off like an old scab. Clark continued to fly over Kansas at breakneck speeds, not knowing where he was going; only that he was going north.

_At that time,_

K began to smile as he looked at the blinking dot, before the screen went black except for the words "Signal Lost" flashed on it in red. Scowling, K swore under his breath as the agent tried to get the tracker working again.

"I-I don't understand, s-sir," the agent stammered, "It was working perfectly a second ago."

"The kid must have disarmed it somehow." elaborated K.

"What do we do now, sir?"

K sighed as he surveyed the situation. The agents currently had Jonathan in handcuffs while they were visibly struggling to control an enraged Martha.

"Pack up," he said after a few seconds, "we're heading back to HQ."

"What, sir?" asked the agent, surprised.

"We've lost the target. Zed isn't going to be happy, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"What are we going to do with them, sir?" the agent asked, gesturing towards the Kents.

"Nothing. We misjudged how long it would take the Kryptonite to affect the target. He was able to fight off our agents and escape. Understand?" demanded K.

The agent nodded dumbly.

"Good," replied K "Now take those cuffs of him and send someone to go find that case. The rest of you, ship out!"

The fields were busy with activity as the agents poured back into them, while K made his way over to Jonathan and Martha.

"Agent K?" asked Jonathan, rubbing his wrist.

"Consider us even." K replied bluntly

"Excuse me?" questioned Martha.

"Trust me, Mrs. Kent, I could have tried a lot harder to catch your son."

"So why didn't you?" asked Jonathan.

"Chalk it up to whatever sliver of humanity D was able to keep alive all these years. Trust me, I may not show it, but I miss him as much as any of you. I owed him this much."

"So you had to make it look like you tried to capture Clark to save face?" Martha asked, shocked.

"Yes." K replied, bluntly.

"Did you rig that tracker to break when it did?" Jonathan asked with a smile.

"What do you think, Mr. Kent?" retorted K, though he knew Jonathan already knew the answer.

"Where you expecting Jonathan to do something like that?" asked Martha.

"I was expecting him to knock me down, that's why I let go of the case. But I wasn't expecting him to punch me out as well," K answered neutrally. Jonathan scratched the back of his head and adverted his eyes, a slight blush on his face.

"So now what?" asked Martha, a slight grin on her face.

"Now I leave," K stated evenly.

"That's it?" asked Jonathan, "No more check ins or anything?"

"I don't see why," replied K "there isn't anything to check up on any more."

"Your not going to…erase our memories, are you?" asked Martha nervously.

"Now, Mrs. Kent why would I do something like that?" questioned K with a smile before turning and walking to his car.

"I guess will see you around, Agent K!" shouted Martha in goodbye.

"No, Mrs. Kent, you won't," said K with a smirk, before he got in his car and drove away.

"Well," said Martha with a sigh, "I guess that's the end of that."

"Actually Martha," retorted Jonathan, looking off towards the horizon that Clark flew towards, "I think this is just the beginning."

He hugged Martha before turning and leading her back towards the house, though not before they both took one last look at the horizon.

A/N: I DID IT! I DID IT! Two chapters in one month baby! I'm getting better. (And don't get on my case that it's the 31st, I still made it.)

Any way I'm happy with this one and I hope you are too. I tried to but the character introductions into dialogue after some people helpfully pointed out that my old way slowed the story down. If you have any questions or comments please review or PM me, though I prefer reviews.

Last thing: Bonus points to those who figure out who Hal's partner was before the chapter. (Hint: he's retired now).

I'll get started on the A.S.A.P. And to head off those who've already asked this question, yes Thor will be in the next one, along with the introduction of one of my favorite Dark Horse superheroes.

Until then, Later True Believers!


	7. The Masks We Wear: Part 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 7: The Masks We Wear: Part 1**

I have often dreamed  
Of a far-off place  
Where a hero's welcome  
Will be waiting for me  
Where the crowds will cheer  
When they see my face  
And a voice keeps saying  
This is where I'm meant to be

-"Go the Distance" Michael Bolton

_May 30__th__, 2006, somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea_

Waves gently lapped at a white sanded beach. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Gulls floated lazily on the warm sea breezes as trees swayed back and forth were they sat away from the sandy ground. Many sounds filled the air; the calling of gulls, the crashing of waves…and the sound of steel clashing against steel.

On one point of the beach a group of women stood in a circle. Each was dressed in flowing, revealing togas which exposed much of their skin to the cool sea breezes. Each woman had an athletic build and was wearing a sword on her hip. In the center of the circle stood two people.

One was a young woman, apparently in her late teens with flowing, black hair and blue eyes. She wore a short revealing skirt and some wrapping around her bust, her shoulders and midriff bare, showing off her athletic build and hourglass figure. Her feet were bare in the warm sand and she held an iron sword in her hands.

The other person was the only male in the group. He was of the same age and had shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes. He was shirtless and shoeless and wore a pair of leather shorts, showing of his athletic build. He also wielded an iron sword.

The two were facing each other, swords pointed at each other. A breeze blew through the air, causing their hair to float on the breeze as they stared at each other, unblinking, unmoving. Suddenly, they both leaped at each other, sand kicking up in their wake. Sparks flew as their swords met. They pressed their swords against one another, each struggling to overpower the other, their feet digging in the sand and their swords shaking with effort. Suddenly, the woman moved out of the way, bringing back her sword and twirling to the side. The unexpected movement caused the man to tumble forward under his own momentum. As he stumbled forward, the woman spun behind him, and swung at his exposed back. Sensing the danger, the man quickly halted himself, and held his sword behind him, the blade parallel to his back to block the incoming attack. The two blades clashed again and the two warriors struggled to keep one another back. With a heave, the man forced the woman of balance, causing her to reel back. Whirling around, the man swung at the woman's midsection, which she dodged by back flipping out of the way. Landing, the woman sprung forward, slashing downward at the man.

The man grabbed the woman's wrist, stopping her attack. In turn, when the man tried to attack her with his free hand, she grabbed his wrist to stop his attack as well. The two struggled for a few moments before the woman rolled on to her back and kicked her legs back, flinging the man through the air to land hard on the sand, dropping his sword as he did. The woman rolled to her feet and picked up the discarded sword. Running over to the man, she held both swords in an X formation over his throat, pinning him down. They stared at each other for a few moments before the man began to smile and then began to the laugh. The woman joined in the laughter before throwing the swords down and helping him up.

"Well done, Diana," the man praised, brushing the sand from his pants and arms, "looks like you beat me again."

"You weren't too shabby yourself Thor," replied Diana with a slight blush.

"Except for the part where you knocked him on his ass, sister," spoke one of the women from the circle. She appeared to be the youngest in the group. She appeared very similar to Diana in looks, and wore the same clothes. Her long, black hair was done up in a pony tail.

"Donna!" exclaimed Diana, her eyes burning with fury.

"Sorry Diana," apologized Donna, a sly grin on her face, "I forgot I can't say anything bad about Thor because you're-", Donna was interrupt when Diana sped across the beach, kicking sand up in her wake and covered her sister's mouth.

"Hold your tongue, sister!" she hissed, a blush covering most her face. She slowly turned to look over her shoulder at Thor, who was watching the scene with a confused look on his face. Diana grinned sheepishly at him and gave him a small wave with her free hand, while Donna rolled her eyes.

"Princess," spoke one of the women, the only one currently in armor, "if you and your sister are quite done, I believe that is enough for today. I expect to see you all at the arena at noon. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Mistress Philipus!" the group said in unison.

"Good, dismissed!" Philipus ordered, before turning and departing.

"Wow," gushed a girl of Diana's age, with short blond hair, "You were great today Diana!"

"Thank you, Io," replied Diana. She was about to continue when she was tapped on the shoulder. Turning, she found Thor standing behind her, holding her sword up to her, grip facing up.

"You forgot this, Diana," he said with a smile.

"Thank you, Thor," she replied, a slight blush. Seeing this, Io gave Thor a jealous looking glare.

"My pleasure," said Thor, oblivious to the looks on both girls' faces, "perhaps one day I will beat you in sparing."

"Don't be hard on yourself Thor," spoke up another one of the girls, this one with long blond hair, "You fought very well."

"Thank you, Mala," replied Thor with a smile.

"Princess," spoke another girl, this one with brown eyes and brown hair done up in a bun, "I must remind you that you and your sister are expected to attend the meeting with the ambassador from Nova Roma with your mother in an hour's time. We must get you two cleaned up before then."

"Thank you, Cydippe" responded Diana, "Come on Donna, we must be going. My friends, I will see you tomorrow and I'll see you at home, Thor."

"I'll see you there," replied Thor with a nod.

Donna smiled in return before heading inland with Donna and Cydippe.

"Thor," said Mala, getting the man's attention, "we're going to go to the market for some food, would you like to come?"

"Thank you Mala, but no. There is something…I must see to." he said with hesitation, before turning and walking off in his own direction, grabbing a cloth shirt that he had hung in a nearby tree and putting it on as he went. Mala watched him leave, before telling her friends to go on without her and followed the path Thor had taken.

Thor walked quietly through the streets of the large city at the center of the large island. He kept his eyes on the ground as he made his way through the groups of women wandering the street until he reached a section of the city dominated by temples. He walked through the alleys between the smaller temples until he reached the center of the complex. There stood two temples, Greek in architecture and very large in size. Above the entrance of one temple was the stylized picture of a peacock, the other a stylized lightning bolt.

Thor walked towards the second temple, up the stairs and between the columns into the temple. Just inside the entrance of the temple was a large marble statue of a man with a flowing beard and a heavily muscled physique. He wore a toga and carried a lightning bolt in his hand. On the base of the statue was written the name Zeus in a language that resembled Greek.

Thor glanced at the statue before walking past it, continuing through a door way located behind it. This led to a large domed room. Along the walls were depictions of Zeus performing mighty deeds of strength and battling monstrous foes. At the center of the dome was a skylight, which let a beam of sunlight shine into the temple. At the center of the room sat a pedestal. Imbedded in the pedestal was the handle of some sort of weapon. On the pedestal was carved, "Here sits the hammer of Zeus, the lord of Olympus."

Thor walked up to the pedestal before stopping, looking at it thoughtfully. Slowly, Thor reached out towards the handle. When his hand was a few inches away, small bolts of electricity began to jump between his fingers and the handle. Thor felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he slowly curled his fingers around the hammer.

"Thor, what are you doing?" asked a voice from behind Thor. He jumped and whirled around.

"Oh! Hello, Mala." Thor greeted the blond standing in the temple doorway, "What brings you here? I thought you had gone to the market."

"Something seemed to be bothering you when you left, so I followed you. I don't know why I tried to be so stealthy; you were so distracted that I could have walked next to you and you wouldn't have noticed," stated Mala.

"I apologize. My mind was…elsewhere," explained Thor.

"I could tell," Mala replied, "Do you come to Zeus's temple often?"

"Yes," answered Thor, "It's a good place to think. The only people you see here are those that come to pay their respect to the lord of Olympus or to pray for good weather."

"I believe that," agreed Mala, who was walking around the room and looking at the many carvings, "Zeus isn't held as highly here on Themyscira as goddesses like Hera and Athena. But that doesn't explain why you come here to think. What do you think about, Thor?"

"I…I think about where I come from. Why I'm here." Thor said hesitantly.

"Yeah," Mala said, "I guess that would weigh on you, especially since you're the only man on the island. But Queen Hippolyta found you washed up on the shore when you where a baby, didn't she? That's not much to work with. But what does Zeus have to do with all this?"

"It's a bit of a long story," explained Thor, scratching the back of his head.

"I've got time," responded Mala, taking a seat on the temple floor. Thor sighed in defeat, before smiling and taking a seat as well.

"Well, it all started a few months ago." Thor began. "It was around then that I began to have a strange series of dreams."

"What happens in these dreams?"

"Well I am flying over a land I have never seen before…yet I feel like I have known it all along. It's a land of mountains, forests and snow. Strange creatures abound, from short bearded men toiling endlessly in a series of underground forges to humongous men who stride mountains effortlessly. Then the vision changes. I see a large building sitting upon a cloud, its architecture nothing like that of the buildings here in Themyscira. It is assembled from thick, dark wood and is much longer than it is tall, giving it a strong, sturdy look. Many men guard the building and a bridge constructed from a rainbow connects it to the ground. First I see a noble looking man, dressed in armor and carrying a mighty spear. He has a gray beard and only one eye, the other one covered by a patch and two pitch black birds perch on his shoulders. Then the picture changes again. This time I see a beautiful woman dressed in plain brown robes with long brown hair. All assortment of creatures surround her, chatting happily. She looks at me with what I can only describe as…a motherly smile. The scene shifts yet again. This time I see a man dressed in green clothing and yellow clothing and a yellow cap with long horns coming out of it. He gives me a malicious and mischievous smile before the entire scene bursts into flame. When the flames clear, I see a man with his back turned to me. He appears stronger than any person, man or woman I have ever seen. He has blond hair as long as mine and in his hand he holds what looks like a cross between a hammer and an axe. Slowly, he begins to turn towards me…" Thor trailed off.

"Then?" asked Mala, anxiously.

"Then that's it. I wake up, never seeing his face." Thor explained with a sigh.

"What do you think it means?" Mala questioned.

"I don't know, but I've been coming here to try and figure it out ever since," stated Thor.

"What have you figured out?" Mala inquired.

"Well I've found a few…inconsistencies."

"Inconsistencies? Like what?"

"Well, this for one," Thor commented, pointing at the pedestal.

"The hammer?"

"Yes. That pedestal states that it's Zeus' hammer, but look around you," Thor made a large gesturing motion with his hands, indicating towards the surrounding carvings, "not one of these pictures depict him wielding a hammer, nor do any on the pictures or stories about him in the Themyscira Archives. There is absolutely no explanation of how it was created or why it's here. I mean, if it's such an important artifact, why didn't Zeus keep it? Why leave with it with a people who don't even care enough to guard the temple it's housed in?"

"To our defense Thor, the temple doesn't exactly need guards. Last time I checked, if any one with ill intentions comes even close to the temple, the hammer will automatically electrocute the person with a massive bolt of lightning."

"You know what I mean."

"Alright, fine. So there are some problems with the hammer's story. Did you figure anything else out?"

"Yes, and it also has to do with the gods…but not the ones on Mount Olympus."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you are aware that there are other gods besides the ones on Olympus, correct?"

"Of course I know that. Hera's sister Isis is married to Osiris, one of the Gods of the deserts of Africa. Then there's the multi-handed gods of the east. I've even heard of a jolly, fat man who watches over a group of peaceful monks in the mountains to the Far East."

"That is true, but what of Zeus' brother and his family?"

"Zeus' brother? Do you mean Hades or Poseidon?"

"Neither."

"Neither? Who are you talking about Thor? Zeus only has two brothers."

"No he has three. But like Isis, he does not live on Olympus. He is Zeus' eldest brother. His name is Odin."

"Odin? Who is he? How come I've never heard of him?"

"You've never heard of him because there are no records of him on Themyscira. The only information I could find was a half burned piece of parchment stuck inside of an atlas." Thor explained, before reaching into his pants pocket and retrieving and old piece of folded-up paper. He handed it to Mala before continuing. "All it tells me is his name, that he rules the northern gods in a place called Asgard and that he is the eldest son of Coronus and Rhea or as they are known in the north, Borr and Bestla. It also has a picture."

Mala unfolded the paper. On it was the said information as well as the picture of a man with a long white beard, a helmet and an eye patch over his right eye. On his shoulder sat a raven.

"That is one of the men from my dreams," stated Thor.

"What do you think this all means, Thor?" Mala asked, handing the paper back to Thor.

"I don't know Mala. I have been puzzling this out for two weeks now and I am no closer to the truth. I am beginning to lose hope.

"Hey, don't act like that. Look I'll help you figure this out and I'm sure we can get Diana, Donna and all the other girls to help out too."

"Really? Thank you, Mala. That means very much to me."

"Think nothing of it. That's what friends are for, right? Just make sure you tell Diana when you get back to the castle. Knowing her, she won't appreciate being kept in the dark for so long and is probably worried about what you've been up to. I know I was. Now come on, let's go get some food. I'm starving."

Thor nodded his head in agreement and they left the temple, heading towards the market place. Unbeknownst to them, hidden in the shadows beside the temple, a figure was watching them go.

"So, dear brother, it looks like I finally found you." He then began to cackle mirthfully before disappearing into the shadows.

_Gotham City, NY_

In the dark reaches of one of America's greatest and dirtiest cities, a rundown apartment building sat. Lights shone through a few of the windows of the dirty brick building. In one of these rooms, light emanated through the window from a small desk lamp. The lamp dimly illuminated the small apartment. The desk the lamp sat on a table that was covered with scraps of sketch paper, mostly crumpled up and covered in half-finished cartoons.

A man sat at the desk, drawing on the paper in front of him. He wore a pair of kakis and a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He had messy brown hair, brown eyes, and a skinny build. He was currently drawing a little old lady, counting pennies in front of an obliviously bored bank clerk (who looked a lot like the artist himself). He continued to work on the drawing, looking more perturbed as he went before he finally crumpled up the paper and threw it among the other scattered papers, growling in frustration.

Resting his elbows on the table and cradling his head in his hands, he sat in silence, trying to get past the obvious artist block. He sat in silence, before a strange noise caught his attention. It started out small, but began to steadily grow. The sound was undoubtedly that of someone laughing. Lifting his head, the man began to look around trying to find the source as the laughing grew into full blown cackling. It was then that he figured out where the laughing was coming from…the paper he had just thrown away.

A large amount of barking came from the other room, as a small dog came running in. He had a white coat with light brown on his back and on the tips of pointed ears and his short skinny tail. The dog ran up on to the artist's lap and began barking viciously at the paper.

Suddenly, the paper began to shift in its place before rolling down the table and stopping in front of him. The paper then uncrumpled itself as the laughing suddenly stopped. The drawing was exactly the same as before…only this time, it was moving. The man could see the old lady slowly counting her pennies as the bank clerk let out an occasional sigh.

The laughter began again as a man walked in, holding his side from laughing so hard with oversized tears spraying from eyes. He wore a bodysuit with scales running down the middle, showing off a slim physique as well as wearing a pair gloves and boots. He also wore a skin tight cap with long bull's horns on top of it and a ponytail coming out the back. He couldn't tell what color the clothes were because the drawing was in black and white.

"Ha Ha Ha! That's not bad!" said the man in the picture, his voice echoing out from the picture just like his laughing, "Good set up, classic comedy shtick, all you need is a punch line!" he shouted, emphasizing this by punching the old lady, who went flying off page, followed by a large crashing sound as stray pennies rolled around.

"You know," the little man continued, talking to the banker, who still seemed bored, instead of the artist, "what this joke really needs is a change of scenery." Saying that, the man walked right towards the artist, getting closer and closer until his face was taking up the entire page. Suddenly, his hands shot out of the page like it was a window, before grabbing the table and pulling himself out and onto the table. Now that he was in color, the artist could see he was Caucasian, with brown eyes and blonde hair. His outfit was revealed to be different shades of light green and yellow-green.

"How do you do Stan?" he asked.

"W-what?" stammered the artist.

"Stanley Ipkiss? That's your name right? And that's little Milo," he stated, pointing at the hyper little dog in Stanley's lap.

"Y-yes, b-but who are y-you?" Stanley stuttered.

"How rude of me," commented the man before he took a dramatic bow, "Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Loki and today is your lucky day."

"L-Loki?" questioned Stanley

"Yes Loki, Norse god of fire and magic," explained Loki.

"A god!?!" exclaimed Stanley, jumping out of his chair.

"You act like you've never had a deity in your home before," Loki commented.

"I must be going crazy!" Stanley shouted to no one in particular.

"Ipkiss!" yelled a voice from the apartment next door, "Shut up, Ipkiss!"

"Sorry, but I'm kind of having a COMPLETE PSHYCOTIC BREAKDOWN HERE!!!" Stanley screamed back.

"I assure you Stanley; you are quite sane…for the moment," clarified Loki.

"All right, let's say you are real, why the heck are you here? In my apartment. Punching my drawings of little old ladies!" Stanley asked, near hysterical.

"Well you see Stan; can I call you Stan? Anyway, you see Stan, I've always had a soft spot for comedians. I like to keep tabs on all the new comics. I mean you have to find some way to pass eternity right? Anyhow, I saw that you were having a bit of trouble coming up with some jokes and I decided to come in and help you out," explained Loki.

"Really?" asked Stanley, totally unconvinced.

"Really, really," answered Loki, a large smile on his face. Stanley continued looking at Loki with an unconvinced look on his face.

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is I'm in the mood to help you out. By the way, comic about a bank clerk who hates his job, how did you come up with that?"

"I'm a bank clerk…and I hate my job," Stanley deadpanned.

"All righty then. You see Stanley, you have great imagination, I mean really great. You have one of the greatest imaginations in the world. Your only problem is that you're kind of…cowardly. You're meek, spineless, a jellyfish…" stated Loki

"All right I get it," interrupted Stanley, obviously annoyed.

"So I've come up with the perfect solution. A way to unleash your imagination while removing your inhibitions," continued Loki.

"How do plan on doing that?" asked Stanley.

"With this," Loki stated.

Loki reached up to his face, grasped the bridge of his nose and pulled. As he pulled, Loki's face began to stretch like taffy, stretching more and more as he pulled. Then there was a loud popping sound similar to the suction cup coming off a window and the Loki's face came off. To Stanley's amazement, a second face was below the first one, leaving Loki completely unfazed. At the same time, the first face began to change, shifting from wood to flesh. The wood had a slightly greenish tint, while the facial expression was completely neutral. Along the bridge of the nose, an iron bar had been bolted. Loki handed the newly formed mask to Stanley, a large smile on his face. Milo continued to bark at Loki, running small circles around him as he did so.

"What do I do with this," asked Stanley after staring at the mask for a few minutes.

"What do you do with it? You put it on!" exclaimed Loki.

"And this will help me like you said? It will remove all my inhibitions. It will make my funny?" Stanley asked hopefully.

"That and so much more. It will make you famous. You'll be world renowned. People will recognize you on the street. You'll be one of the funniest men in history!"

Stan looked at the mask for a few moments before lifting it up to his face. Just before he put it on, he stopped and looked at Loki.

"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked skeptively.

"Have I given you any reason not to trust me? Now _put the mask on_." As Loki said this last part, his eyes glowed green. At the same time, Stanley's eyes glassed over and he obediently brought the mask up to his face. Suddenly the mask seemed to come to life as it aggressively grabbed hold of Stanley's face. As it did the mask became rubbery, stretching out to wrap over his entire head. When it had fully engulfed his head, Stanley began to shake violently, grasping at his head as the mask fit to his features. Suddenly, he began to spin rapidly until he was a blur of motion. As he span, he began to race indiscriminately around his apartment, knocking over furniture left and right. Milo yelped and attempted to scamper out of the way. This continued for a few seconds before he came to a sudden stop in the middle of the apartment.

Stanley's head was now a bright green in color and completely bald. He had large vivid eyes and a grin the stretched from ear to ear. He now wore a yellow jacket with a white button-up shirt with white gloves and a black tie. He wore a pair of yellow slacks with a black belt and black leather shoes. To top it all of he wore a yellow fedora with a bird's feather sticking out of it.

"Smokin!" he said with a giant grin.

"Looking good Stan, looking good," complemented Loki.

"Thanks, I picked it up at Macy's for $29.99, would you believe it!?! There practically given 'em away!" he said in an almost hysterical voice.

"Nice. But Stan I have to be honest with you, there's something about the mask that I didn't tell you." Loki began.

"What would that be, O pal of mine?"

"This," with that, Loki snapped his fingers, causing Stanley to double over in pain, grasping his head. As he did, a glowing red mark shaped like a serpent burned itself onto his forehead. Then just as suddenly as he started, Stanley stopped screaming. Straightening up, he stood before Loki, his grin even more disturbing than before and his eyes glowing red.

"Foolish mortal, so easily tricked" Loki muttered to himself before walking up to Stanley, a malicious grin on his face, and placed a hand on Stanley's shoulder, "Come on Stan. Let's go have some fun." With that there was a loud bang and the two of them disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Milo to run about, barking up a storm.

_Themyscira_

At the center of the island of Themyscira a large mountain stood. The city in which the Amazon tribe lived was built around this mountain. Located above the rest of the building was a large palace made out of marble and white stone in classic Greek architecture. The palace held many rooms, including the bedrooms for the royal family and their servants. Among these rooms was the one where the only male on the island resided. Thor lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his large royal family bedroom. The conversation he had with Mala was still running through his head. After he returned to the palace, he was prevented from talking with Diana when he got caught up in the meeting with the ambassador party from Nova Roma, an ancient colony from the Roman Empire in Man's world. Specifically, Thor was tasked with giving a tour of the palace to the Nova Roman princess Amara, a 10 year old girl with wavy black hair and a tawny complexion. This was the girl's first time to their island and she was very curious. To Thor's chagrin, this included why he was the only man on the island, for in respect to the Amazon's laws, the entire ambassador party was made up of women. So Thor told her the story he had been told all his life, a story he had almost fully lost faith in. By the time the tour was done, it was late and everyone decided to turn in for the night. And so Thor found himself in his large bed, wishing to have someone to talk to.

Sighing, Thor rolled over onto his side, looking out of the large window into the starry night sky. Suddenly a fluttering sound came from the balcony attached to the window as something could be seen moving on the balcony railing. Tossing off the sheets and rolling out of bed, Thor stealthily made his way to the balcony, though not before he grabbed the dagger he kept hidden under his pillow for just this situation. When he reached the window, he quickly flung open the window and stepped out onto the balcony, dagger raised. But instead of finding a threat to his safety, Thor instead got the shock of his life. Sitting on the rail of the balcony was a sleek black bird that Thor had never seen before, except in one place…his dreams.

"What in the world?" Thor said to himself, as he slowly reached out for the mysterious bird. Letting out a call that was harsher than even the gull's caw, the bird hopped from its perch and fluttered onto Thor's shoulder, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Thor turned his head to look at the bird which stared back with unnaturally intelligent eyes. Seemingly satisfied that it had Thor's attention, the bird flew off of Thor's shoulder and into the night sky.

Thor watched as the bird flew lazily up into the night sky, before his eye caught something else. A large red light shone in the sky slowly growing bigger as the seconds passed. Slowly, a figure came into view. From what Thor could see, it appeared to be a large, slender object with a rounded cone top and triangular attachments near bottom. A trail followed behind it as fire erupted from its bottom, propelling it along. Thor could just make out a lone figure ridding the strange object. The person appeared to be straddling the object like a horse while holding onto it with one hand, the other waving around something Thor couldn't quite make out.

As the object grew closer, Thor could barely make out what sounded like insane laughter before he was struck with a realization, the object was heading right for him! Whirling about, Thor took off running towards his bedroom door. Just as he reached it, the object struck his balcony, exploding in a fiery blast that sent Thor flying out the door and through the wall across the hall, landing in another bedroom.

Groaning as he stood up, Thor surveyed the damage. He had put a ten by ten foot hole in the wall he had shot through and from what he could see, the blast had completely destroyed half of his room, leaving a gapping hole where the wall had once been. Turning, he saw Cydippe sitting up in her bed, on hand pulling her sheets up, the other holding a dagger.

"Cydippe, quickly, we are under attack!" Thor shouted, "Go get the others, tell Donna to guard Amara, get everyone else up here! Go quickly!"

Cydippe nodded her head before leaping out of bed and ran out into the hall, still in her night clothes. Walking towards the hole in the wall, Thor grabbed Cydippe's sword from its place on the wall. He unsheathed the sword and tossed the sheath away before stepping back through the hole.

Holding the sword at ready, Thor slowly moved to the remains of his room. As he approached, he heard more cackling as a figure stumbled out of the flames. Thor was initially shocked by the fact that the figure was a man, the first other male he had ever seen in the flesh. His second shock came from the man's strange look, especially his large green head with a snake mark on it. The final realization was that the man was somehow unharmed.

"Who are you!?!" demanded Thor, pointing at the man. The man just stood at the center of the room, giggling to himself.

"Why are who here!?!" Thor shouted. The man gave no response.

"I warn you! If you don't surrender, I will kill you!" Again, no response.

"Fine, I warned you," said Thor, more to himself than the man. Letting out a war yell, Thor charged the man, his sword raised to strike. Thor took a mighty swing at the strange man…only to have it bounce off him, making a strange squeaking sound as it did. Pulling back, Thor examined the sword. To his amazement, the sword had transformed from steel to a strange, cushioning substance that was no more dangerous than a pillow.

As Thor stood in shock, the man opened his jacket and reached in. From it he retrieved a comically oversized hammer, much too large to actually fit in the man's jacket. Laughing maniacally, the man swung the hammer up, hitting Thor in the chin and sending him flying through the stone ceiling all the way out of the square roof, which he landed on hard. As Thor struggled to right himself, he again heard the maniac laughter before a strange object was thrown up the hole he had just made. It was a black metal ball the size of his head with a burning wick at its top that was quickly burning down to the ball. Thor watched the ball until the wick reached its end…causing it to explode violently, sending Thor flying through the air. Thor landed hard, knocking the wind out of his lungs as he did.

Looking up, he saw the man leap effortlessly through the hole and onto the roof. As Thor struggle to regain his footing, the man produced more of the black balls from his pockets before throwing them at Thor. Thor sprung into action, rushing past the balls and towards the man. When Thor was a few yards away from the man, the balls exploded, sending Thor flying forward. Taking advantage of the added momentum, Thor cocked his arm back and threw a flying punch at the green-faced stranger…only to have it caught effortlessly. Turning, the man used Thor's momentum to slam him against the roof, denting it. Still holding Thor's wrist, the man yanked him to his feet. As Thor tried to recover, the man brought up his hand to his mouth. Sticking his thumb in his mouth, the man blew hard. To Thor's amazement, this caused his hand and then his arm to bulge to incredible size. Laughing hysterically, the man uppercut Thor, sending him flying off the roof and through the air towards the town below. The man continued to laugh while a hissing sound was heard as his arm returned to normal size.

"Thor!" yelled a voice from behind the man. Turning, the man found a group of Amazons behind him, Mala, Diana, Cydippe, Io, Philipus and an older woman among them. The woman was taller than the others with blue eyes and long blonde hair, done up in a bun at the top of her head. All of them were dressed in night clothes and each wielded a sword or spear.

"Don't worry Diana," said the older woman, putting a comforting hand on Diana's shoulder, "It would take a lot more than that to kill Thor,"

"You're right, mother, please forgive my weakness."

"Think nothing of it," replied Queen Hippolyta, before turning to the green-faced man, "As for you, how dare you step on Themyscira soil uninvited and attack one of our own. Who are you and why are you here?"

In response, the man began to laugh maniacally, completely ignoring the question.

Her eyes narrowing in fury, Hippolyta demanded again, her voice raising, "Who are you and why are you here!?!"

Suddenly more maniacal laughter came from behind the group. Turning, they found a man dressed in green and yellow clothing with a set of horns on his head standing behind them. He was unknown to all…except one.

"Loki," gasped Hippolyta.

"Good evening Your Majesty, it's so good to meet you, though it seems like you already know me. I bet I have old man Odin to thank you for that," he greeted.

"Mother, who is this man?" asked Diana

"Ah, I see not all have had the pleasure of my acquaintance," stated Loki, "Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste," here Loki paused, looking at the women expectedly, but only received blank stares.

"Sorry, modern joke," Loki sighed before continuing, "Anyway, I am Loki, Norse god of mischief and fire."

"You're lying," spat Diana, "I've never heard of any 'Norse' gods."

But Mala had turned pale at Loki's words, as memories of an earlier conversation played through heard head.

"_I see a man dressed in green clothing and yellow clothing and a yellow cap with long horns coming out of it. He gives me a malicious and mischievous smile before the entire scene bursts into flame."_ the sound of Thor's voice said in her head.

"D-did you say god of f-fire?" asked Mala.

"W-W-W-Why d-d-d-do you ask?" mocked Loki.

"That man over there, you sent him after Thor didn't you?" Mala questioned.

"That's very astute of you, little girl. Yes, I did come here for your dear Thor."

"Why?" asked Diana.

"Well I would tell you, but you won't live long enough for it to matter," stated Loki pointing behind the group. Turning the group saw the green faced man standing there, holding his jacket open…revealing it to be lined with numerous red candle-like sticks each with a lit hissing wick. Laughing wildly, he whipped off the jacket and hurled it towards the girls causing the sticks to scatter in the air.

"Oh, Hera" whispered Hippolyta as the sticks hit the roof and exploded violently.

_The Temple of Zeus_

A lone raven sat on Thor's chest, cawing loudly and pecking at Thor's forehead. Slowly, Thor opened his eyes, his vision blurry. Groaning, he blinked a few times as he brought a hand to his head. Gingerly, he raised himself into a sitting position, causing the raven to flutter off his chest with a loud squawk, hissing from the numerous cuts and bruises covering his body. He paid extra attention to the large lump that was forming on the back of his head.

Looking around he quickly realized that he was in the Temple of Zeus, the Hammer Chamber to be specific. A large amount of rubble surrounded Thor and looking up, he saw he had punched a hole in the dome in his crash landing.

Hearing a loud cawing, he turned to find the raven sitting on the handle of the nearby Hammer of Zeus. Looking at the bird, Thor realized it was the same bird he had seen earlier that night, recognizing the unnatural intelligence in its eyes. Figuring that the bird had already helped once before, Thor took a chance and addressed the bird.

"What do you want? Surely your trying to help us, you wouldn't have warned me if you weren't. Please tell me what you want quickly. I must help my friends!" Thor pleaded with the bird.

Cawing in response, the bird hopped of the hammer handle and landed near the base. Hopping around, it seemed to indicate to where the hammer entered the stand. Looking at it, Thor realized that the stand had been damaged when he crashed into the temple, revealing the hammer's head. Crawling over to it to get a better look at it, Thor was shocked to the bone from what he saw. Now that the hammer was revealed, Thor saw the hammer's head was a strange combination of a hammer and a battle axe…exactly like the mystery man in his dream wielded. Slowly, Thor inched closer. As he did he realized that there was writing on the side of the hammer's head. Brushing away the dust, Thor turned his head so that he could read the inverted writing.

"_Whoever holds this hammer,_" Thor read, not even realizing that it was written in a language he had never seen before, "_if he be worthy, will wield the power of Thor._"

Thor froze after he read this, his body shaking to the core. Slowly, he raised his head to look at the calmly waiting raven.

"W-Why is m-my n-name on Z-zeus' h-h-hammer?" Thor asked, struggling to speak.

In response the raven fluttered back up onto the hammer's handle.

"Y-you want me to take the hammer?" Suddenly, the sound of a huge explosion came from the direction of the palace. Looking to where the explosion was heard, his eyes wide fear. After a few seconds, the raven cawed, drawing Thor's attention back to the hammer. Thor gazed into the bird's eyes, searching until he found the answer he was looking for. Narrowing his eyes in determination, Thor forced his way to his feet. Stumbling as he went, Thor made his way to the hammer, stopping before it. Hesitantly, Thor reached out for the hammer but stopped inches from the handle. Thor gazed at the hammer, anxiety written on his face. Screwing his eyes shut, Thor searched for the strength he needed. He conjured up the images of his friends, of Mala, Io, Cydippe and the others who had always been there for him. He conjured the image of Phillipus, who taught him to be strong in the face of danger. He conjured the image of Hippolyta, the closest thing to a mother he had ever known. He conjured the image of Donna, who could always make him laugh, no matter what.

Finally, he conjured the image of Diana, his closest friend, his companion since before he could remember. He thought of her being the one who always pushed him to be his best and the one who always was there to pick him up after he fell. He thought of all of them, and they gave more than the strength to take the hammer and face his destiny…they gave him the strength to fight anything that would try to harm them. He would die before he let that happened.

Thor eyes snapped open, full of determination. Thrusting his hand out Thor grabbed the handle. Suddenly the night sky above the temple began to churn with storm clouds. The clouds burst with energy and a lightning bolt shot from the dark clouds and broke the skylight at the center of the dome. The bolt hit directly where Thor was standing. He felt the surge of power run through his entire body…before Thor's vision went white.

_Meanwhile,_

Diana grunted as she was thrown through a wall that was in the ruins of the palace's top floor. She gazed up at the starry sky through the destroyed roof. She was puzzled briefly by the ominous storm clouds she could see gathering above the island. Her thoughts were interrupted when the green faced man leaped into her view, a comically large hammer raised to strike. She quickly rolled to her side, narrowly dodging the attack as the hammer was lodged into the floor.

As she tried to get up the man swung at her again. This time, Diana was forced to block, grabbing the hammer by the handle, inches away from her head. As she struggled to push it away, her body began to glow, completely unbeknownst to her. As it did, Diana strength suddenly increased and she threw the man of her effortlessly, sending him flying back.

Rolling to her feet, Diana gripped her sword and swung at the green faced man as he got up, cutting his arm. There was a large hissing sound as air came rushing out of the cut. The man began to fly around wildly, propelled by the rushing air. As the air continued to rush out, the man went flying into the air, before he disappeared from view. Diana stared up after him, an utterly bewildered look on her face.

As Diana continued to look upwards, Donna stumbled out of the ruins behind her, dirty and with a few minor wounds but nothing else.

"Did you beat him?" she asked her sister with an equally bewildered look on her face.

"I honestly don't know," Diana replied.

Suddenly, a loud whistling sound came from the above them. Shooting out of the clouds, the green faced man came, his body shifted into the form of a large weight. The two Amazons gaped in shock as the man barreled down on them. As the man was about to impact, Diana grabbed Donna and dove out of the way; protecting Donna from the impact…but the impact never came. Instead Diana could see a bright flash from where she lay on the ground as the wind seemed to pick up, blowing her hair about. Slowly, both Diana and Donna raised their heads and looked behind themselves.

There, hovering a few feet off the ground was a man, holding the green faced man, who was still in the weight form, above his head. He had flowing blonde hair the swished about in the wind that seemed to surround. He wore a black, sleeveless shirt with six circles on the chest, each crackling with electricity. The tight shirt also showed off his flawless physique, a build that the sisters had only ever seen belonging to the statues dedicated to the Olympian gods. He also wore a pair of black leather pants and black boots. Clinging to his back was what looked like a cross between a battle axe and a hammer that crackled with energy.

"Worry not," said the man with a deep voice, turning to look at them with deep blue eyes, "none will hurt you while the son of Odin has a say in the matter."

Then, with a grunt he tossed the green faced man away, sending him crashing through a wall. Turning, he floated to the ground and helped the two girls up. Both where staring at him, utterly bewildered looks on their faces.

"Hello, my friends" the man said with a smile.

"Th-Thor? I-Is that you?" asked Donna, wide-eyed.

"Indeed it is, young Donna," The man replied

"What happened to you Thor?" asked Diana.

Suddenly, he green faced man leapt out of the rubble, now missing both his hat and jacket, but otherwise fine.

"We will have to speak of this later." Thor replied, taking his hammer into his hands and facing the man, "For now, find the others, post haste. I will deal with this fiend."

The sisters nodded their heads in unison before heading into the ruins of the palace. The green faced man watched them go, before turning and eyeing Thor, the same crazed look in his eye as before.

"I know why you are here, slave of Loki. You have come here for me, not the Amazons. Well, here I stand, prepared to face you. I only have one thing to ask…where is Loki?"

"I wouldn't try holding a conversation with this one, dear brother," said a voice from behind Thor. Whirling about Thor found Loki sitting on a rock a few feet behind him. "His conversational skills are a bit…sub par."

"Loki," Thor spat, "what foul scheme have you concocted this time?"

"Oh, nothing special really. Gifted a mortal with tremendous power and manipulated him into doing my dirty work. The usual."

"As cowardly as always Loki. For all you have done, I should kill you were you sit," Thor snarled as he stomped over to Loki and grabbed him by the collar, only to have Loki disappear in a cloud of smoke.

"Not if he kills you first," retorted Loki's voice, which seemed to echo from everywhere. Just then a large rumbling came from behind Thor. Spinning around, Thor discovered that the man had transformed into a large ball and was bearing down on him.

"I think not," Thor muttered to himself, before grasping his hammer with both hands, causing the head to crackle with electricity, and swinging, striking the ball just as it reached him, sending it rocketing back the way it came with tremendous force, so much that it shot out of the ruins of the palace's top floor and plummeted to a courtyard below. There the man lay, slowly getting up after transforming back. As he did he heard a loud war call. He looked up just in time for Thor to smack him in the face with his hammer and smash him back into the ground.

Thor took a few steps back and prepared himself to continue fighting. The man lay in the crater created by the impact, appearing to have become completely two dimensional. Lifting his now flat hand up, he grabbed the top of his head and lifted up so that he could look at Thor, who was unnerved by the frenzied grin the man still wore. The green faced man began to laugh hysterically as he lifted his body up, his flat frame swaying in the wind. Sticking his thumb in his mouth, he began to blow on it. As he did, his body seemed to inflate, regaining its depth. To Thor's astonishment, he continued to blow, all the while gaining more and more muscle mass bursting open the sleeves of his shirt and the legs of his pants as he did. When he was done, Loki's servant stood 10ft tall and brimmed with muscles.

Laughing with a now much lower voice, the man clasped his hands above his head and swung them down to crush Thor, who swiftly leaped out of the way. Rolling to his feet, Thor pointed his hammer at the man and a lighting bolt shot out of the head, striking the monster in the chest and sending him reeling back. Pressing his advantage, Thor flew at the man's face and began striking it with a barrage of hammer strikes, driving him back with each blow.

Sneering, he green faced man grabbed the hammer's handle as Thor swung again and slammed him into the ground. Thor was dazed from the sudden attack, allowing the man to press his attack. The behemoth of a man slammed him into a ground another half a dozen times before he tossed him across the courtyard. Thor groaned as he struggled to get up. Slowly, he opened his eyes…just in time to see the green faced man body slam him further into the ground.

For a few moments, the green faced man lay where he was, giggling to himself…before he was shot sky high by a lightning bolt point blank in the chest. Thor launched himself out of the crater after the green faced man. He met the man as he fell back towards earth, his chest still smoking and he had transformed back into his normal form. Thor flew hammer first into the man's gut, pulling him further into the sky. Grabbing him by the throat, Thor threw him back to the ground. Holding his hammer out in front of him, Thor shot a bolt of lightning at the green faced man as he fell, speeding his decent and slamming him into the ground. The man tried to get back up, only to have Thor slam him with a hammer strike as the he flew back to earth.

Grabbing the man by the throat and lifting him up, Thor looked into the madman's eyes, before speaking, "I know you do not perform these heinous acts of your own free will. You have been bewitched by my brother. Please, allow me to free you from this enslavement. What say you?"

In response, the man merely smiled before his chest began to expand. The bulge began to travel up until in was in his cheeks. Opening his mouth, the man let out an ear shattering belch. The belch had amazing force behind it, so much so that Thor was unable to hold on and was flung back across the courtyard.

"Very well," Thor muttered to himself as he pushed himself back to his feet, "We shall do this the hard way."

With that Thor took off across the courtyard and tackled the man before he took off to the sky, bashing the man hard across the head as he did so, stunning him. As he soared into the air, the clouds began to condense around him, crackling with lightning. At the same time, Diana arrived with a number of other Amazons, including her mother and friends. They all gazed in astonishment as the storm continued to churn around him as he climbed higher and higher into the sky.

Thor continued to climb until he reached an opening in the clouds. He now floated in a clear spherical space with storm clouds churning around him.

"Dear uncle! Brother of my father! Ruler of Olympus and all those that dwell there! I, your nephew Thor, call for aid! Please heed my call!"

Suddenly, the mass of clouds in front of Thor took the shape of a bearded man's face.

"Thor has called for aid and Zeus will answer," the head stated in a booming voice, "It is good to see you again, my nephew."

"As it is for me to see you, beloved uncle. I must thank you for watching over Mjolnir in my absence."

"It was the least the Lord of Olympus could do for the son of his brother. Now tell me Thor, why have you summoned me here?"

"I require you assistance in releasing the enchantment on this man." Thor explained as he held up the still stunned man. "He has been entranced by my wicked brother Loki. I believe that if we combined both our powers, we will be able to release him. What say you, uncle?"

"I agree with your plan Thor. Now, raise Mjolnir above your head so that I may combine my lightning with your own and we can save this man from this bewitchment." Zeus replied as his face disappeared into the mass of clouds.

Thor held Mjolnir aloft, its head crackling with energy as he held the green-faced man in front of him. Suddenly, three massive bolts shot out of the sky and struck Mjolnir's head, causing even more energy to crackle around. With a mighty yell, Thor brought his hammer down upon the green faced man's forehead, as the energy surged into him. The man began to scream in pain as the symbol of a snake began to glow red. As soon as this happened, the electricity seemed to surge into it, causing it to turn bright white before it completely disappeared. Unfortunately, Thor underestimated the amount of the power he put into the blow and before he knew it, the green faced man had slipped from his grip and was sent shooting out of sight by the excess energy.

As the storm clouds began to depart, Thor looked on, troubled that he may have unintentionally killed the man he had just saved. After a moment, Thor could only hope that the man survived.

"Perhaps we will meet again." Thor thought to himself before he began to descend back to earth. As he neared the palace, he saw a number of Amazons waiting for him. Landing softly, he looked at them happily, only to have it returned with looks of astonishment and confusion.

"Um…greetings!" Thor said sheepishly.

"Thor…THAT WAS AMAZING!!" shouted Diana before she and the others ran up to him and began to barrage him with questions.

"Did you beat him?"

"Who was that man?"

"Why did he come here?"

"Where'd you get that hammer?"

"How'd you get so much bigger?"

"Do you know who this Loki guy is?"

"My friends please," implored Thor holding his hands up defensively, "one question at a time."

"How did you do all that, Thor?" asked Donna, taking advantage of the lull after Thor's plea, "How did you fly and shoot lightning like that?"

"I believe I can answer that dear, if I may Thor?" stated Hippolyta as she stepped forward. At Thor's nod, she continued, "Now when Thor first came here around the same time Diana was born, you were all told that he had simply washed up on the shore, placed there by the nymphs like some of our sisters were, am I correct?"

"Yes, your highness." replied Io, "That's what we were told."

"Well, that was a lie," Hippolyta admitted.

"Why would you lie about something like that, mother?" asked Diana.

"In order to protect Thor from his enemies." explained Hippolyta, "You see, Thor is no ordinary man, nor even a simple immortal like us. He is in fact…a god."

Then gathered woman stood in shocked silence for a few moments.

"A g-god?" stammered Cydippe.

"Indeed I am," replied Thor "I am Thor, god of thunder"

"God of thunder?" asked Donna, "but I thought that Zeus was the god of thunder and lightning."

"He is in this part of the world, but in the far north a whole other set of gods watch over mortals. They are known as the Asgardians," explained Hippolyta.

"Why are they called Asgardians?" asked Mala.

"Because we live in a place called Asgard, similar to how the Olympians live on Olympus," clarified Thor.

"So all those dreams you told me about?"

"Those apparently were my dormant memories trying to get to the surface."

"So how come even you didn't know who you were until now?" questioned Diana.

"To keep him safe," explained Hippolyta, "Around the time you were born Diana, I was approached by Thor's father, the god Odin."

"Zeus's older brother," muttered Mala.

"How did you know that Mala?" asked Hippolyta.

"After training today, I talked to Thor at the temple of Zeus. He told me he was looking for answers to where he was from and showed me some information he had found about Odin," explained Mala.

"Why didn't you tell me about this Thor?" Diana asked, slightly hurt.

"I was going to this evening," replied Thor sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "but you were busy with the diplomats from Nova Roma."

"Oh," muttered Diana, slightly embarrassed at her slight jealousy.

"Speaking of the diplomats…" began Thor.

"Don't worry Thor, the diplomats are safe in the undamaged part of the palace," explained Hippolyta, "Now, as I was saying, Odin approached me, asking me to watch over Thor, as he was sending him to Earth in the form of a child."

"Why would he do that?" asked Io.

"Odin had sensed a great power coming to Earth and wished to send Thor here as a representative. Because both Odin and Thor had many enemies, he wished to have the now infant Thor raised in a place he could be safe. As an added precaution he wiped Thor's memories and requested that we hide all knowledge of the Asgards and keep secret the knowledge of his heritage. Odin was worried that if Thor retained his memories, he might do something that would attract the attention of his enemies. I agreed to take Thor in and have raised him among us ever since."

Everyone was silent for a few moments, taking the knowledge in.

"Wow," muttered Donna, "that's amazing."

"Yes," said a voice from the shadows, "Truly amazing. And they call me the cunning one."

Turning to the source, they found Loki emerging from the shadows, clapping his hands sarcastically.

"Really, this was all quite impressive," he said, "But now, as they say, the jig is up and-"

Loki was interrupted however, when Diana's fist met his face. As he stumbled back, Diana, now glowing slightly rushed him, punching him in the gut before kneeing him in the face. As Loki continued to reel, Diana jabbed him twice in the head before punching him hard in the chest, sending him flying back. As Loki struggled to get up, he wiped his mouth and was shocked to find blood there. He looked up at Diana, hate and confusion written on his face.

"How did you-" Loki began but Diana interrupted him again.

"Leave our island and never return," she snarled, hate written on his face.

"Fine," Loki spat after a moment of glaring, "But this isn't over, Princess. Not by a long shot." With those parting words, he disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

Turning, Diana found everyone staring at her in astonishment, including Thor.

"What?" she asked, utterly clueless.

"Diana," Thor spoke hesitantly, "You do realize that you just made a god bleed don't you?"

Diana's eyes widened in realization before she slowly looked down at her hands, her knuckles covered in Loki's blood.

"My child has been blessed," whispered Hippolyta.

"What do you mean blessed, mother?" asked Donna.

"The gods have shown favor upon you, granting you great gifts…just as they did me."

"Gifts?" questioned Diana.

"You have been granted great strength, durability and speed as well as the ability to fly."

"F-fly" stammered Diana.

"Yes fly. You have been granted all the gifts I had been when you where still young, but for now I believe that we should call it a night. I will explain it all to you tomorrow," stated Hippolyta, "And you Thor can decide what you will do next."

"There is a slight problem with this, your Highness. For you see, my bed chambers were at the epicenter of the attack. I no longer have a place to sleep."

"You can sleep in my room," Diana immediately offered.

"That is very generous of you Diana and I gladly accept." Thor replied happily, clapping her on her back, knocking her slightly off balance. Diana smiled back, a slight blush on her face. Donna began to snicker slightly, earning her a glare from her older sister.

"Yes, well the hour is late and we should retire now if we have any hopes of getting sleep before day break," declared Hippolyta with a slight smile before turning and leading the group back into the palace.

_The next morning,_

"You wished to see me, mother?" asked Diana, as she flew into the throne room through the large wooden doors. As soon as she had woken up, after spending the night with Thor in her room she thought happily to herself, she had been practicing her new found powers with Thor, including her ability to fly. The new found freedom astounded and excited Diana, who for the moment refused to walk anywhere.

The throne room was impressively large, the domed ceiling painted with depictions of the gods in mighty battles. Columns lined the wall, supporting the ceiling. The room was mostly empty, except for a long red carpet that lead from the door and a raised platform on which sat three thrones, the middle one larger and more prominent than the other two.

"Yes, Diana, I wanted to show you something," Hippolyta replied from her seat on the throne. Rising, she walked around and reached behind the throne, pushing a hidden button that sounded with a click, before a section of the wall behind the thrones opened revealing a hidden passageway.

Hippolyta beckoned for Diana to follow her before descending down the passageway herself. Diana followed obediently, gliding down the passage after her mother. The passageway led to a spiraling stone staircase lit by torches that descended a long distance below the throne room before it opened up into a large round room. A number of pictures decorated the walls. Each depicted a different individual fighting groups of black clad soldiers wielding weapons Diana had never seen before. One showed a group of ragtag soldiers, led by a rather gruff looking man. A patch on his uniform read Easy Company. Another showed a noble looking man with pointed ears and wings on his feet fighting beneath the ocean. A third showed a man completely engulfed in fire with similar, but smaller, figure behind him. The next showed a man dressed in a red, white and blue uniform carrying a shield alongside a young boy dressed in a similar outfit. A number of other portraits lined the walls, such as black man dressed much like the man with the shield, a man with claws coming out of his hands, a large savage looking man, a man with a golden mask, a man in a brown outfit with a brown cap with goggles a yellow diamond on the chest and a red cape, a man with a burning skull, two masked men dressed in uniforms with a red white blue design of an cross over lapping a x, along with a woman with blonde hair gold costume and a red, bird-like mask, a woman with black hair, glasses and a outfit with a design similar to the soldier with the shield, a man in a yellow bodysuit with a W on the chest and a number of men standing by a number of strange winged machines with the pictures of black birds painted on their sides. Above all these portraits was a banner that read, "The Invaders."

Located in the middle of the room was a case containing an outfit. It looked like a cross between a strapless single piece swimsuit and a breastplate. The top half was decorated with red and white stripes, while the bottom was blue with white stars. The top also had a gold design on the top which looked like two overlapping golden W's. Also in the case was a golden tiara with three red stars on it, a pair of silver bracelets and glowing golden lasso.

"Mother, what is all this?" she asked looking at the room in wonder.

"These are memoirs of the time I went to Man's World to help in their Great War, when you were still a baby," Hippolyta explained.

"And these are all the people you fought alongside in the war?"

"Yes, they all became very important to me," she said, before gazing lovingly at the portrait of the man with the shield, before muttering to herself, "some more than others."

"Why are you showing me this mother?" Diana asked.

"Because, like you, I have carried the blessing of the gods. They granted it to me so that I could fight in Man's Great War. Now they've granted them to you so you can deal with whatever now plagues Man's World. So as such, I will grant you a boon that I was also granted."

Reaching into the case, she retrieved the outfit and the other items from the case and presented the items to Diana.

"You wish me to have these, mother?"

"Yes, my child, I do. Here," she stated, holding up the outfit, "Though it may appear to be just cloth, it was created by the combined efforts of Athena and Hephaestus and is stronger than the greatest armor. This," she said holding up the tiara, "was designed by Hera and crafted by her son to be a deadly weapon. These," she continued, holding up the bracelets, "were crafted from pieces of Athena's shield Aegis, and are completely indestructible, even to Man's weapons. And finally," she held up the lasso, "this is the Lasso of Truth, crafted from Gaea's Golden Griddle and empowered by the fires of Hestia. It is impossible to break and compels all within its grasp to tell the truth. Now take these gifts and always remember your mother loves you," she finished her speech by kissing Diana's forehead.

"Thank you mother," replied Diana, hugging her mother.

"You're quite welcome, now hurry and go change. Thor had already made it clear he wishes to travel to Man's World like his father wanted and unless you wish to be left behind…" but by then Diana had already flown back up the staircase, outfit in hand.

Hippolyta chuckled to herself as she watched her daughter leave. Sighing she turned to look at the portrait of the soldier with the shield again.

"Do you remember when I acted like that around you, Steve?" she asked before turning to the picture of the clawed man, "And how you and the others would tease us, Logan?" she turned again, this time facing the man with pointed ears, "Or how you'd berate us for our foolishness, Namor?"

With another sigh, she turned and began her way back up the passage. She paused a moment in the doorway, looking back over shoulder as if someone had called her.

"Yes," she said after a moment, "I miss you all too."

She then turned and continued back up the stairs.

_Later_

Thor stood on the beach were he had been practicing with others only a day before. It astonished him how much things could change in just one night. One moment he was a man on an island full of woman with no knowledge of who he was and the next he was a god preparing to travel the world. He was currently bidding his friends ado as he waited for Diana to arrive so that they may depart. Thor wanted to begin there journey as soon as possible.

"Well, you be careful out there Thor," stated Mala, giving him a hug which he gladly returned.

"I shall my friend," replied Thor, "And once again, I must thank you for what you did for me."

"Like I said before Thor, what are friends for?"

As Thor continued his goodbyes, Diana finally arrived, touching down just outside the group gather around Thor.

"Thor!" she called out, catching his attention before she twirled in place to show off her mothers outfit, "How do I look?"

"You look breathtaking," Thor replied honestly, a slight blush on his face.

"Thanks," Diana replied, an even deeper blush on hers, which she desperately tried to hide, "Anyway, you ready to leave?"

"Indeed, I am. I was just bidding farewell to our friends before we left, I have already said goodbye to your mother."

Diana nodded before she went about and began saying goodbye to all her friends as well. After many goodbyes, she came to Donna.

"Goodbye, little sister. Watch over everyone for me, okay?" Diana asked, hugging her sister.

"Okay," mumbled Donna, tears in her eyes.

"What's the matter sister?" Diana asked concerned.

"Well, it's just that you and Thor get to go have big adventures while I'm stuck here." Donna said with a pout.

Diana smiled at her sister's feelings of being left out.

"You never know Donna, maybe someday you'll be able to go on a big adventure yourself."

"You think so?" Donna asked with hopeful eyes.

"Of course I do." Diana replied, hugging her sister again.

Straightening up, Diana walked over to Thor after bidding everyone a last goodbye. Turning to Thor she smiled up at him.

"All right Thor, are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Indeed I am," Thor replied, smiling back.

"What are we going to do first?" she asked.

"I wish to try and locate the green faced man. I want to now what became of him after Zeus and I broke Loki's hold on him," explained Thor.

"Okay, let's go!" she stated before rising into the air. She paused when she realized that Thor wasn't following her. Turning back she looked at Thor with a confused look on her face.

"Thor aren't you coming?"

"Yes, Diana I am but" he began before rising into the air, grasping Diana's hand and raising Mjolnir above his head, "there I know a much faster mode of transportation."

Suddenly a bolt of lightning shot out of the sky, striking them both and in a flash they were gone.

From a balcony on the now being reconstructed palace, Hippolyta watched her daughter leave. As she did, a raven flew down and perched on the banister near where she stood. Looking up at her, it let out a loud squawk before turning back to look at the ocean.

"Yes I agree," Hippolyta sighed, almost as if the raven was talking to her, "this is the beginning of something big."

_Meanwhile_

A lone man was walking down a paved road cutting through a forest. He was dressed in a button up shirt and kakis, with brown shoes, all looking rather dirty. He appeared rather tired and his brown hair was messy. In his left hand, he carried a rather plain looking wooden mask with an iron bolt running down the middle.

As he continued down the road, he came upon a large sign on the side of the street. Looking up, he saw the sign read "Welcome to New Jersey."

"Lucky me," the man said to himself before he continued along the road, chuckling to himself.

A/N: Hi everybody. Sorry for the wait but this one took awhile to write. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as it's already become one of my favorites especially because it introduces one of my favorite characters, the Mask form Dark Horse comics. Don't worry; he won't be a villain for long and as the title suggests, his story will continue in the next chapter. Also, I'm not sure if I made this clear, but Thor is much smaller before his transformation than he is after it. Think the Disney version of Hercules. Another think is that I got the idea for Zeus and Odin being related from my friend The Writer with No Name's Last Son series (Thor mentions it in passing, though I decided to make Odin the older brother instead of twins.) If you haven't read it you should definitely check it out. Finally to head off any questions of where the other Invaders were in Chapter 2, though they are part of the Invaders, the Holwing Commandos were still a separate unit, so they got assigned to take down Project Ragna Rok with Easy Company while the others were off fighting else where. If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

Bonus points to those who can figure out who all the pictures in Hippolyta secret room are. (The one in the goggles and redcape is an old hero called the Spy Smasher. I have a feeling no one will get it because he has no real defining characteristics.)

Until next time, later True Believers! Please Review!


	8. The Masks We Wear: Part 2

Chapter 8: The Masks We Wear: Part 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 8: The Masks We Wear: Part 2**

_In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved._

-Franklin D. Roosevelt

_June 3__rd__, 2007, B.P.R.D. headquarters, New Jersey_

A young girl was walking down the metal corridors of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Fluorescent lights lit up the reflective floor as well as the Plexiglas walls that separated the corridor from the other rooms where scientists and technicians hurried about their business, fixing this and examining that. The girl was prepubescent in looks, with pale white skin and black hair the came down to the base of her skull and purple eyes. She wore a baggy blue sweatshirt and a black skirt along with white sneakers and socks.

She walked quickly through the corridor, passing the labs before coming to a pair of large wooden doors. Pushing them open, she walked through and the scenery completely changed. Inside was a well stocked library with books in both numerous shelves and piles on the carpeted floor. Statues and suits of armor stood at different points in the room, including one of a man fighting a giant snake with a spear. A spiral staircase lead up to the next floor while two other sets of wooden doors sat in other walls in the room. One wall was completely dominated by window into a large aquarium with four stands holding books situated in front of it. A number of plush chairs sat around a fireplace, a fire lightly crackling inside.

The girl walked over to one of the chairs. In it a large book sat upright, obscuring its small reader while smoke lazily drifted from behind it.

"Bobo?" the girl asked. Receiving no reply, she tried again, raising her voice, "Uncle Bobo!"

This time she caught the person's attention, as the person slowly lowered the book…revealing a chimpanzee reading it. He was dressed in a plush purple bathrobe and wore a pair of small reading glasses while smoking from a pipe.

"Oh, good morning Raven. I apologize but I was engrossed in my reading and didn't notice you come in."

"That's alright, Uncle Bobo. What are you reading anyway?" Raven asked curiously.

"Ah, yes. I am reading this book I found about the Fountain of Youth," explained Bobo

"You mean the thing that made it so you can talk?" Raven inquired.

"Among other things, yes. I'm reading it so that I can better understand its properties and therefore better understand my own rather extraordinary condition. It may come in handy someday."

"That's neat. Anyway, I was wondering if you've seen grandpa. I want to talk to him."

"Certainly, he should be in his office." Bobo stated, indicating towards the stairs.

"Thanks." Raven replied before walking towards the stairs.

"Raven, before you go, would you mind turning the pages?" asked a voice from the aquarium tank. Seconds later, the blue form of Abe Sapien swam up to the glass.

"Sure Uncle Abe." Raven replied before walking over and turning the pages of each of the four books. Walking over to a tray situated near a tube, she asked, "Want some eggs?"

"Yes, that would be nice," Abe replied. Nodding, Raven lifted up the cover of the tray, revealing a half a dozen rotten eggs. Bobo scrunched his nose in disgust at the smell. Grabbing her nose with one hand, Raven grabbed two eggs with the other and placed them in the tube before slamming it up, sending the eggs shooting up the tube and into the tank, where Abe happily began to eat them.

Turning from the tank, Raven walked across the library and hurried up the staircase. Reaching the top of the stairs, Raven found herself in a spacious study. Bookshelves lined the walls and a small fireplace crackled to the side. Near the rear wall sat a large wooden desk. On the desk sat numerous stacks of paper and books. Behind the desk in a comfortable looking chair sat an elderly man. He had wild white hair with a receded hair line. He wore slacks and a green sweater vest over a white shirt. A pair of glasses framed his kindly, wrinkled face. He was currently reading a sheet of paper, but paused and looked up when he heard Raven come up the stairs.

"Good morning, Raven," he said warmly as she entered.

"Morning Grandpa," she replied kindly.

"How are you today?"

"I'm good, thanks. What are you looking at anyway?"

"Oh, just reports of strange weather anomalies over the Mediterranean. Nothing special. By the way, you got some post today."

"I did? Who from?"

"Why don't you see for yourself, my dear?" He replied with a smile, before reaching into his vest pocket and retrieving a letter, which he handed to Raven with a smile.

Taking it, Raven slowly looked over the letter. On the front, the letter was addressed to "To: Ms. Raven Rachel Buttenholm. Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense Headquarters, beneath the Newark, New Jersey Waste Disposal Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA." Turning it over Raven found the letter sealed with an old fashioned wax seal. On the seal was the picture of a shield divided in four. Each of the four sections contained a picture of a different animal, a lion, a snake, a badger and a raven respectively. Tearing the letter open she began to read it out loud.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards, Sentinel of Magic)

Dear Ms. Buttenholm,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress.

Gasping, Raven slapped her hand over her mouth. Looking up at Professor Buttenholm, she found him smiling happily at her. Laughing happily, she ran up to him and leaped into his hug. The books shaking on the shelves didn't escape Trevor's notice.

"How?" she asked, pulling back.

"You have you're Uncle John and Aunt Zatanna to thank for that. They both went there and have a number of allies in the area, including the headmaster himself," he explained.

"Grandpa, why are you and everyone else so concerned about keeping me safe?"

"Now Raven, I've told you before that the world is a very dangerous place. We should know. We all just want to make sure you're all right." The Professor gave the vaguely artificial response that Raven had come to expect. Since before she could remember, her 'family' had always told her this was the reason for being rather overprotective. But as she got older, Raven couldn't help but feel that there was something else going on, something that was being kept secret from her. She shrugged it away for now, as she was too excited at the moment to think about such things. Nodding her head in acceptance, she kissed her grandfather on the cheek before leaping down from his hug. Grasping the letter tightly in her hand she ran down the stairs, screaming "I've got to go and tell Dad!" as she did.

She hustled down the stairs and through the library, stopping only to show the letter excitedly to Bobo and Abe. She rushed out one of the other doors in the library. She now was in a hallway that resembled a museum. The sides were walled with glass cases that contained ancient and arcane looking items, illuminated by fluorescent lights located in the cases. Rushing down the hallway, she eventually reached a dead end with a large vault door in the wall, guarded by a lone man in a suit.

"Morning Clay," Raven greeted happily.

"Morning Raven," Clay replied with a smile, "You here to see your dad?"

"Yeah, can you open the door?"

"Sure, it ain't locked; your dad hasn't been grounded for a while." With that he grabbed the handle and slowly pulled the door open.

As soon as the door opened far enough, she hurried in. The room was rather dark, with only a few lights here and there, though all of them were turned off. One wall was lined with TVs, all of which were off at the moment. A rack of immensely large weights sat in the corner. About a dozen cats wandered the room lazily. One cat walked up to Raven and rubbed against her leg affectionately. She scratched it behind the ear before quietly walked across the room. In the far corner was a large bed made from the bed of a pickup truck, in which slept the paranormal expert Hellboy. Raven crawled into the bed and silently sat on his large red chest. Raven lowered herself very close to Hellboy's face, smiling from ear to ear.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK DAD!!" she shouted. Hellboy shot up in shock, giving a small shout of surprise as he did so, while Raven rolled expertly off his chest.

"WHA!" he yelled in surprise, as he looked around the room wildly, "Who's there!? What's going on!? Where are my pants!?"

Raven smirked as Hellboy calmed himself down. His eyes soon fell upon the young girl and he fixed her with a cold stare.

"Kid, how many times have I told you not to do that?" he asked coldly.

"I don't know, I lost count after two dozen," she replied with a smirk.

"Clever," he shot back before signaling her to turn around as he reached for a pair of leather pants to put over the boxers he had slept in. "What time is it?"

"9:00 AM. Once again, the only person probably still asleep after you is Uncle John, the lazy bum," she stated dryly.

Hellboy chuckled at the shot before speaking again as he threw on a black t-shirt, "So what's so important anyway?"

"Just this," Raven answered impassively, handing Hellboy the letter.

Unfolding the letter, he quickly read it over, before looking back at Raven with a smirk to find her beaming at him. "You know," he said, "we're really going to do something about that sarcasm of yours or the other kids are going to kill you as soon as you get to school."

"Isn't this great!? I actually get to go to wizarding school!" she said excitedly, "I get to finally go to a real school."

"Well don't let Blue hear that, you are his favorite student."

"He'll get over it," she replied before turning to leave the room, "Come on, let's go get some breakfast."

Smirking, Hellboy grabbed his trench coat and put it on as he followed his adoptive daughter and, though she didn't know it, his half-sister out the door. Wandering through the halls of the complex, they eventually came to a large cafeteria. Inside they found a few of the Bureau staff and agents already there. At one table Zatanna Zatar sat conversing with Liz Sherman and Jason Blood. Zatanna and Liz were now in their late twenties while Jason was still unaged.

Zatanna smiled as she saw the two approach. "Well, look who decided to join-umph!" Zatanna was interrupted as Raven ran up and gave her a hug.

"Well, good morning to you too!" Zatanna laughed, "I assume that you got your letter today?"

"What would make you say that?" asked Raven with a grin, "Thanks again. I can't believe I finally get to go to school. You have to tell me everything about Hogwarts. Now where's Uncle John? I need to thank him too."

"John hasn't got up yet," answered Liz, "He went on a bit of a drinking binge last night so he's probably sleeping it off."

Suddenly, a large banging sound was heard followed by a crashing noise. Looking towards the source they saw John Constantine standing in the doorway. John dressed the same way but was now appeared to be in his early thirties. He was holding the swinging door open, he had apparently slammed open the door and accidentally hit a passing Bureau staff member and knocked him flat.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," stated Jason.

"Hey! Watch where you going you…" the man's retort died in his throat as he met Constantine's irritated gaze.

"You where saying?" asked John, his eyes bloodshot.

"N-Nothing. Sorry, Mr. Constantine," the man replied before getting up and hurrying off.

"That's what I thought," John snarled, as he walked towards the group. John sat down and abruptly slammed his head against the table, moaning in pain.

"Rough night?" asked Jason. John replied with a two finger salute.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Hey Uncle John," stated Raven dryly, tugging on John's trench coat to get his attention, "If you could take a five minute break from your hangover, I wanted to thank you for getting me into Hogwarts. It means a lot to me."

John stared at her for a second before smirking and patting her on the head.

"No problem kiddo," he said kindly, "Now leave me alone. My head's trying to kill me."

"I'll go get you some coffee," said Zatanna with a smirk. She got up to get the drink as the others began to talk quietly around John, who did his best to remain motionless with his head against the table. Suddenly, a blaring alarm went off before cutting out a few seconds later, quickly followed by a radio announcement.

"Alpha Team please report to the library. Alpha Team, to the library. Thank you that is all."

The announcement was immediately followed by John screaming, "WHY!?" at the top of his lungs, before getting up and storming out of the cafeteria, not waiting for the others to follow.

Hellboy smirked as he and the rest of the group got up and headed for the door. Before he left, Hellboy gave Raven a hug.

"Sorry kid, got to go fight some bad guys," he said with a smile.

"Okay, love you dad," replied Raven, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Love you too, kid," he said before getting up to go. As he reached the door, he turned to wait for Liz. He saw her kneel down and give her a hug and a kiss on the head.

"See you, Raven," she said.

"See you Mo- I mean Aunt Liz," Raven replied with a blush at her slip-up. Hellboy sighed. He knew that Raven looked at Liz like a mother. It was understandable. Raven took to Liz's kind and quirky nature, and Liz had become very taken with Raven as well. Liz would often take Raven outside of the complex, something Hellboy couldn't do, as well as give her womanly advice when she needed it. The only thing that was wrong with the situation was his and Liz's own relationship. Hellboy still held his feelings for Liz but through all the years since Raven had come to the Bureau, it was still unclear whether or not Liz felt the same. She cared for him, he knew that for sure, but Hellboy also knew that she still dreamed of a life outside of the Bureau, something he couldn't give her. The one thing that was clear was that Liz refused to have Raven call her Mom.

Getting up, Liz walked past Hellboy has he held the door for her. She gave him a quick smile before walking through the door and down the hall towards the library. Giving one last look at Raven, he turned and followed Liz to the library.

A few minutes later the team stood spread out around the library. Among them stood a bald pudgy man in his forties. He was dressed in a business suit and had a constantly stern look on his face. He carried a file under his arm.

"So what's the case Manning?" Hellboy asked.

"Triple homicide," Manning replied.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that these weren't normal murders," stated John.

"You got that right," said Manning as he reached into the file and put some photos onto the table in front of him as the others gathered around him.

"Mike Richardson, John Arcudi, and Doug Mahnke. They were found in an alley in a small town just outside of Newark. One was killed with enough blunt force trauma to squish his head like a grape. The second had his lower torso blow of by what appears to be dynamite. The last one appears to have been contorted into a shape resembling a balloon animal. Some of one of the victim's blood was used to paint this on a wall," he indicated to a picture of a stylized snake painted in red on a brick wall.

"Does it look familiar to you, Professor?" asked Bobo.

"Yes, unless I'm mistaken that is the symbol of Loki, Norse god of fire and trickery."

"Well these deaths certainly fit his style," commented Jason, "You think it could be a worshipper or servant of some sort?"

"Only one way to find out," replied Hellboy before turning to Manning, "Anything else?"

"Yes. S.H.E.I.L.D wants this taken care of a soon as possible. They deemed this of high enough priority to bring you freaks in to take care of this. Both my superiors and I expect this to be cleaned up quickly and efficiently. Don't disappoint," with that he turned away and promptly left the library.

"Always a pleasure, he is," remarked Constantine.

"Well boys and girls, I say it's about time we moved out," said Hellboy as he walked towards the door while the others followed, "Let's go hunt some monsters."

_That night, just outside Newark, New Jersey_

Night had fallen over the small New Jersey suburb. Clouds obscured the moon light, casting the lonely alley in dark shadow. A clean up team from the police department had come earlier that day and washed away the blood stains covering the walls as soon as the C.S.I.s were done. But none of this helped Abe Sapien. Night could not silence the death screams that rang in his ears. Clouds could not obscure the visions of the grizzly murders that swam in front of his eyes. And no amount of water could wash away the psychic impression of death that clung to him like a wet blanket. He shuddered, another nightmare to haunt him, that is what he had gained here. But that wasn't all he got. He saw the man who did this and with that knowledge, he could hopefully help these poor souls find rest.

"You okay Blue?" Hellboy asked, laying a hand on Abe's shoulder.

"I'll be fine Red, thanks." Abe replied, a slight shudder running through him.

"Did you see the one who did this?" questioned Bobo, now dressed in an outfit reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes.

"Yes, he was a man with a bald green head and a large smile. He also wore a bright yellow tuxedo and hat."

"Shouldn't be too hard to find then," stated John as he lit up a cigarette.

"Yeah, but he's had hours to get away. He could be anywhere," remarked Jason.

"Could you and John use a tracker spell to find him Zee?" Hellboy asked.

"We'd need something belonging to him, and I don't see anything that we could use for that," Zatanna explained.

"Yeah HB, the CSI's probably grabbed anything that we could use for the spell," collaborated Liz.

"Anything mundane, yes. But arcane evidence, I severely doubt that," elaborated Bobo.

"What are you getting at, B?" asked Hellboy.

"Well, all beings give of an aura, a fingerprint of the soul if you will. That is how you sensed what happened here isn't it Abe?" Bobo explained.

"Yes, it is."

"Well, couldn't we somehow use the lingering bits of the killer's aura in this alley to track him down?"

"I think that could work! Let me try and see if I can collect it." beamed Zatanna as she took out her wand. Making a stirring motion with it, she cast her spell, "_Rethag s'rllik arua._" As she continued to stir with her wand, a red mist began to gather from all around the alley and collect around her wand. She continued stirring until all the red mist collected into an apple-sized sphere. She reached out and grasped the sphere with her free hand and examined it closely.

"John," she stated, glancing at him.

"Right," John responded with silent understanding before he reached into his trench coat and retrieved a map of the area he had been given. Unrolling the map, he laid it flat on the ground. Zatanna kneeled down and held the sphere out over the map. John laid his hand upon hers and they both held up their wands.

They whispered an incantation in unison as they flicked their wands. Immediately, the aura glided out of their hands and sank to the map. It swirled aimlessly around the map for a few moments before it split into to different spots. One spot was bigger than the other, but both were close to each other as well as being close to where the team was currently located.

"It worked!" Zatanna exclaimed, "Bobo, you're a genius!"

"Is anyone else concerned that the brains of our outfit is a monkey?" asked John with a smirk.

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that Constantine," Bobo said as he walked over to the map, "Is there any reason why your spell located two signal's, Zatanna?"

"We'll have to worry about it later," Hellboy stated, "Both signals are close, and we know what to look for, so let's go get this guy before he has a chance to get away."

The others nodded and the team left the alley together, John leading the way with the map.

"SOMEBODY HELP!!" a young blond woman screamed as she ran down an alley, desperately looking for someone, anyone to help her. Hot on her heels were three young men, each dressed in black jackets and jeans and each brandishing a switchblade.

"Ah, don't scream cutie. No ones gonna hear ya anyway," one stated as the others laughed.

Catching up to the woman, one of the men grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her roughly to the ground.

"On second thought," he said, straddling the woman and bringing the blade close to the woman's face, "go ahead and scream as much as you want. I like it."

Suddenly an extremely sharp and loud scream came from behind the group, causing them to cover there ears in pain. Whirling around, they found a man with a green head dressed in a bright yellow tuxedo standing behind them with his hands clasped to his face in mock fear. Seeing the collected looks he was getting, his expression suddenly turned embarrassed.

"Sorry" he said sheepishly, "I thought you were talking to me,"

"Who the hell are you suppose to be?" demanded one of the men.

"Oh, me?" he asked, before striking his best heroic pose, "Well I wanted to go with Superuperduperman, but that was too long so you can call me, the Mask."

The men stared at Mask for a few moments before breaking out in hysterical laughter.

"Is this guy for real?" asked one of the men.

"Frankie, stick this loser so we can get back to what we were doing," said another.

"Sure thing Mac," replied another of the men, before he rushed the Mask with switchblade raised.

"One dead hero coming up!" Frankie shouted before driving the blade into the Mask's gut, as the green faced man offered no resistance. Frankie dug it in a far as the blade would go…but no blood came. The Mask didn't show any sign of pain or even discomfort.

Seeing the shocked looks he was getting, a look of realization crossed his face.

"Oh sorry, I forgot," he said before he gasped his stomach and let out a cry of pain. He began to thrash around, making moaning and choking sounds. He did this for a few minutes before he fell down on his back, his legs struck up straight in the air before they slammed into the ground. Slowly, he produced a flower and held it above his chest and laid stock still. The men and woman watched the Mask for a few minutes. Suddenly the Mask sat up and looked at them, a crazy smile on his face.

"How was that?" he asked expectantly.

"What the hell are you?" asked Frankie in horror.

"One of a kind," the Mask responded before he suddenly appeared right in front of Frankie.

"Let's go for a spin," he said before he grabbed Frankie by his jacket and began to spin, quickly becoming a yellow cyclone of motion. He then came to a quick stop, letting go of Frankie at the same time. The force of the spin flung Frankie out of the alley and across the street where he landed in an open dumpster.

The nameless man came up behind the Mask as he finished his spin, hoping to catch him off guard. The Mask was not fooled however. Snapping his fist back, Mask caught the man square in the face as he let out his best Bruce Lee war call. Whirling around, the Mask began to barrage the man with a series of lightning fast punches followed by an uppercut that sent the man flying into the air. The Mask leapt into the air after him, he grabbed the man and whirled them both around, so that the man was facing the street.

"There is no spoon," he whispered before kicking the man and sending him flying into the dumpster and slamming into the recovering Frankie, knocking them both out.

Landing, Mask came face to face with the barrel of Mac's gun.

"I don't know what you are but I'm putting an end to this right now," he snarled.

"Go ahead," the Mask replied in a gravely voice, before he pulled out an incredibly large gun and pointed it at Mac, "make my day."

Mac began to visibly shake with fear as Mask pulled the trigger, causing the gun barrel to flip back and a boxing glove on a spring shot out and smacked Mac in the face, sending him flying into the dumpster across the street with the rest of the gang.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" the woman squealed as she ran up and hugged the Mask, "How can I ever repay you?"

"Don't worry about it, Miss," Mask said in his best hero voice, "I'm just trying to do the right thing. Now I suggest you get on home."

"Okay, thanks so much" she said, kissing him on the cheek before running off, waving and calling out, "Thanks again! You're totally my hero!"

As soon as she had disappeared, Mask went into a spastic display of happiness at getting a kiss. He froze in the midst of one of these goofy motions when he heard someone clear his throat behind him. Turning he found a blond haired man with a trench coat and a cigarette in his mouth.

"Evening" the man said with a British accent.

"And a good evenin' to you too govna, wot wot, pip pip cherrio and all that," the Mask replied in an incredibly fake accent.

The man glared at the Mask, pulling out some kind of shotgun with a cross on the end and pointing it at him.

"You're coming with me," he stated.

"Well, when you put it that way I guess I'll have to say yes. But why are you so eager to take me…wherever it is you want to take me?"

"Well, maybe it's because of those murders you committed last night."

"Murders?"

"Yeah, triple homicide. Pretty gruesome too."

"I didn't kill anyone! I swears it!"

"Yeah well we've got a psychic who says otherwise. So you're going to be taking a trip with my mates and me and where going to be asking you a few questions, like what you're up to and what you're boss Loki wants."

"Loki? What does he have to do with this?" The Mask hissed with anger.

"That's what we want to know. Now you're coming with me."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are"

"No I'm not"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"YES YOU ARE!"

"YES I AM!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT!"

"YES I AM!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT. NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE I SHOOT YOU IN THE BALLS FOR PISSING ME OFF!!"

"Alright, whatever you say, govna." The Mask replied with manic grin before dashing out of the alley and out of sight.

John froze in place as he watched the Mask run away, shock written on his face. Just then the rest of the team came running into the hallway.

"John, what happened?" asked Zatanna, "Did you find him?"

The group gathered around John, looking at him with quizzical expressions.

"John what's wrong?" asked Liz.

"I think I just got Bugs Bunneyed." he replied to no one in particular

"What?" asked Abe.

"Never mind. He went this way!" John said, running out of the alley in the direction the Mask had run in. The rest of the team watched him leave before running after him.

"We are so not letting this drop," Hellboy said as they ran, "I want to hear this story."

The Mask sped down the street, legs blurring before he ducked into another alley. Warily he looked around the corner, hoping he had lost the British man with the gun. Suddenly, there was a loud popping sound and the Mask felt a pointed object pressed against the base of his skull.

"I'd advise you to stop running now," came a feminine, British voice from behind him.

"What is this? Are we having another British invasion or something?" the Mask asked.

"Funny, but don't move," she ordered.

"Don't move huh? Well how about this?" Suddenly the Mask's hat enlarged and fell to the ground, the Mask disappearing into it as it did. Zatanna bent down and picked up the hat, studying it inquisitively. Suddenly, Mask's hand shot out of the hat and grabbed Zatanna, dragging her into it. The hat bounced around for a few moments before Mask stepped out. He straightened his suit and dusted off his shoulder before he picked up his hat. Flipping it around, he patted the back of the hat, causing Zatanna to fall out, her hands and legs bound and her mouth gagged with multicolored handkerchiefs.

"Sorry doll, gotta run," the Mask said with a smirk, before dashing off down the alley leaving a trail of dust in his wake. As the Mask left, John rounded the corner and paused when he saw Zatanna tied up.

"Wow, Zee," he said with a smirk, "I didn't know you were into this kind of thing."

Zatanna replied with a glare that screamed, "Shut up and untie me."

Mask cackled wildly as he rounded another corner, and almost had his head taken off by a kick from Abe. Abe pressed his attack, throwing kicks and punches at the Mask, all of which he dodged effortlessly. Abe threw another punch but Mask caught and pulled Abe into a spin, disappearing into a blur of motion. When he stopped, he had Abe tied up like a prize fish, dangling from a wooden post that had been pulled from seemingly nowhere and his hands bound. Laughing, the Mask sped away, leaving Abe hanging.

"Well, this is unfortunate," Abe said before pausing, "The blood seems to be rushing to my head."

The Mask was still laughing as he rounded a corner…only to come screaming back out, closely followed by a plume of red and black flame. Seconds later, Etrigan came roaring after him.

"_Stay still, you can't escape your fate, and I will catch you at any rate!"_ Etrigan shouted.

"Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the Mask…man. You know, you make this rhyming stuff look too easy" the Mask replied, pausing in his running as he did so. With a roar Etrigan leaped at the Mask, and they both fell behind a pile of trash. Sounds of a struggle came from behind the pile before Etrigan emerged…with his cape tied around his head and hands. Mask walked out from behind the trash, unscathed. Grinning, Mask pushed Etrigan over and watched him struggle for a few moments before running off. With a roar, Etrigan ripped apart his cape, freeing himself and ran off in the opposite direction the Mask went in.

Running as fast as he could, Mask felt he had finally escaped, only to have his head almost blown off by a large gun. Whirling around, he found Hellboy and Liz bearing down on him. Reaching into his jacket, he produced a black, round, cloth-like substance and threw it down in the Hellboy and Liz's path, who were too focused on the Mask to notice. As soon as the two of them stepped on the cloth, it transformed into a hole roughly 10ft deep. They fell in at the same time and because the hole wasn't wide enough, became stuck, face to face.

"Well…this is awkward" quipped Hellboy as Liz blushed and looked away.

Running out of the alley, Mask quickly looked around, before wiping sweat off his forehead.

"That looks like the last one," he said as he turned to walk away.

"I'd count again if I were you," came a voice from behind him.

"Don't you people ever give up!" exclaimed Mask, expecting to find another person…instead he found Bobo.

"Know are you coming quietly or do I have to force you to comply?" Bobo asked determinedly.

"…TALKING MONKEY!!" he shouted after staring for a few seconds, pointing at Bobo and completely ignoring the question.

"Well I can see you're quite the intellectual," Bobo quipped.

"Can you dance?" asked Mask, still in his own little world.

"No, I cannot dance, so if you are quite done-" Bobo wasn't able to finish, because the Mask suddenly snapped his fingers, which caused a red uniform reminiscent of a marching band member to appear on him and cymbals appear in his hands. With another snap, Bobo began to involuntary dance about wildly while clanging the cymbals together. Mask began to laugh hysterically before he ran off again, leaving Bobo in his embarrassing predicament.

"I'll never be able to live this down," Bobo commented to himself, his face serious while his body flailed around wildly.

The Mask's manic laughter echoed of the buildings surrounding him as he raced down another alleyway, his legs a blur of motion. He stopped short however when he came to a dead end. He turned to leave only to find John standing at the end of the alley, breathing heavily from a lot of running, Godsmack in his hand.

"All right…you son of a bitch…I've finally got you. You're lucky…we need you for questioning…or I'd shoot you right now…you bloody maniac. Now, come with me…or I shoot out your knee cap," panted John, aiming at the Mask's knees.

"I've got a better idea," replied Mask. Before John could react, he reached into his jacket and retrieved a brush and a bucket of paint. Whirling around, he painted the image of a tunnel opening on the wall with quick and long strokes. Throwing the paint and brush to the side, Mask took a step back before running full on at the image. To John's amazement, he ran through the entrance as if it were real, his laughter echoing behind him as he disappeared into the darkness. Shaking out of his surprise, John ran full sprint after him…only to slam his head against the wall, the painting remaining completely two dimensional. Falling on his back, John could only lay there as blood poured out of his nose.

'Son of a bitch," was the last thing that crossed John's mind before unconsciousness claimed him.

_B.P.R.D headquarters, the next day._

John Constantine had not had a good day yesterday. This one wasn't looking to be all that great either. Currently he had two bloody tissues still stuck up his nose from the broken nose he had received from running headlong into a brick wall, along with multiple cuts and a black eye. He hissed in pain as said black eye was dabbed with a wet cloth.

"Careful with that bloody thing, Raven," snapped John as he sat in one of the chairs in the library as Raven attempted to ease his pain.

"Sorry Uncle John, but that's what you get for running into a brick wall. What were you thinking anyway?" she shot.

"I thought it would work at the time," John replied, adverting his eyes to hide his embarrassment.

The feeling was mutual with the rest of the team. Each had been defeated in rather humiliating ways by the Mask, the name John said the man referred to himself as, some more humiliating than others (Bobo refused to talk about what happened and the only other person who knew, Zatanna, had been sworn to secrecy after she broke whatever enchantment had been on him).

"Well obviously it didn't. If you ask me, it sounds like this guy has been watching a few too many Looney Toon cartoons," Raven said with a smirk.

"You can say that again," Zatanna agreed, before she looked over to where Bobo was sitting. The chimp had a far away look in his eyes and was obviously thinking very deeply about something.

"Something wrong Bobo?" she asked.

"Oh, no nothing Zatanna," Bobo replied with a start, "I was just thinking about what a strange adversary this was,"

"Well yeah, the guy used moves right out of Bugs Bunny's playbook," stated Liz.

"No, I mean beyond that. He seemed to fight with a certain lack of…hostility."

"What do you mean by that, Bobo?" asked Professor Bruttenholm.

"Well, he had each of us at his mercy at one time or another, but he never took the time to finish us off, deciding instead to flee when given the chance. Even when he was fighting us, he preferred to fight to disable, not to harm. That does not sound like the thinking of a murder to me."

"But he ran when I tried to talk to him," argued John.

"With all do respect John, people don't usually like to talk to people coming out of dark alleys wielding shotguns," Bobo rebutted.

"Well then, if it wasn't this Mask guy who killed those people, who did?" asked Hellboy.

"Well, if my deduction is correct, then the one behind these killings…is Loki himself."

"Really?" asked Liz, "Why?"

"Well I'll have to thank John for figuring the motive out."

"You're damn right you do…what I do again?"

Bobo chuckled before continuing, "During your brief conversation with the Mask, you mentioned Loki to him and you said he seemed to have a rather negative reaction to that. I believe the two of them had a bit of a falling out and Loki didn't like the idea of the Mask leaving his service. So he decided to take a bit of revenge on the Mask. This is all a setup."

"So Loki's trying to frame the Mask?" asked Hellboy.

"If I'm correct, than yes he is."

"Well then I believe this requires a change of strategy," stated Professor Buttenholm, "We need to bring in this man still, but no longer for questioning and punishment but for his own protection. I request you find him again as soon as possible and bring him back here. I'll inform agent Manning of these developments. Each of you should be on guard. This is a god you're dealing with after all. Good luck."

With that, the team stood and headed for the door, each realizing that there wasn't a moment to lose.

_Later, just outside Newark, New Jersey_

Stanly Ipkiss had never had the greatest luck. He was average in every sense of the word. Well, except one. He had a great imagination. But as luck would have it, that is what would end up screwing him in the end. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago he had been living a normal life. But in one night his entire life went down the crapper. Now, he was in possession of an incredibly powerful magical object, was wanted for murder and had a god with a chip the size of Wayne Tower on his shoulder looking for him.

Stanly clenched his hand into a fist as he sat on a bench in a small, empty park located in the town he was in, the afternoon sun glowing behind him. The mere thought of that traitorous bastard Loki made his blood boil. He had used him, all to try and get even with his brother. Stanly would have to thank the blond man if he ever saw him again, not just for freeing him from Loki's control, but also for being such a pain in the trickster god's ass. Anyone who could annoy Loki that much was a definite friend of his.

Stan sighed as he looked at the mask in his hands. He felt that he should get rid of it, afraid that Loki would find him because of it. But he couldn't, he had tried a few days before, but had been immediately drawn back to it. It felt like it was a piece of him now; he had found that he could even sense where it was, even if he couldn't see it. Stranger were the feelings of weakness he developed when he went extended periods of time without wearing the mask. It was almost like he was addicted to it. Though this scared Stan, he was happy that there were no bad consequences to him wearing it. Now that Loki's spell was broken, Stan was in full command of himself when he wore the mask.

There were also some definite good consequences to wearing the mask as well. He thought of that woman he had saved that night, as well as the few other people he had helped since waking up in that forest just outside of New Jersey after his fight with Loki's brother Thor. That train of thought led to yet another problem Stan was facing. Last night he had been confronted by that gang of…well he really didn't know what to call them. All he knew was that they didn't seem to like him. The fact that he was wanted for murder was just icing on the shit cake that was now his life.

Stan groaned as he leaned back against the bench, slapping his free hand to his face. He felt he wanted to scream, sob, and punch someone in the face all at the same time.

"Something on your mind Stan?" asked a voice right next to Stanly. A voice he instantly recognized. Snapping his eyes open, he looked to his side to find Loki sitting on the bench with him. 'Well' he thought, 'two out of three isn't bad.'

"BASTARD!!" he shouted as he threw as fist at Loki's face, only to pass right through it and fall flat on his face.

"Sorry Stan but I've had enough punches to the face for the time being, thanks anyway," Loki said with a smirk.

"What do you want?" spat Stan as he picked himself off of the ground.

"Stan, I'm insulted!" exclaimed Loki in mock hurt, "After all I've done for you, and this is how you treat me?"

"Done for me!?" Stan asked incredulously, "You enslaved me and tried to get me to kill your brother!"

"Which you failed to do, by the way."

"Good, I'd gladly fail at anything you'd want me to do for you."

"Well I hope that doesn't mean that you won't listen to my gracious proposal."

"What are you blabbering about?"

"Well it's come to my attention that you've got yourself into a little hot water. Something to do with a triple homicide?"

"I DIDN'T KILL ANYONE!!"

"Well that's not what the cops think. It seems there were a few people who saw a man fitting this 'Mask" character's description commit the crime. Combined that with forensic evidence and I'd say your goose is cooked, Stan."

"Let me guess, you had some sort of hand in this. This all just one big set up isn't it!"

"Maybe it is and maybe it isn't Stan. All I know is that you need my help or magic mask or not, it's a prison cell followed by a long walk down the green mile for you, if you get my drift."

"And what do want in return?"

"Simple, I want you to come back. I'm not the same without you!" Loki exclaimed in fake passion.

"And if I refuse?" Stan asked, his face stern as he fidgeted with the mask in his hand.

"Then I believe the officers that I anonymously tipped off to your whereabouts will want to have a few words with you downtown," explained Loki, just as the sound of sirens could be heard drawing closer, while flashing lights could be seen through the trees in the park.

"So what do you say Stan. Deal?"

Stan looked thoughtfully at the mask in his hand before he glared at Loki, determination in his eyes.

"Thanks Loki, but I'll take my chances with the cops, so why don't you take your little deal and shove it up your manipulative ass," he spat before slamming the mask to his face. Stanly suddenly began to spin wildly for a few seconds before stopping, now dressed in a yellow tuxedo and hat, his head bright green.

"Smokin'" he said, before turning and running away, becoming a blur of motion while shouting, "Exit, stage left!"

Loki's face contorted in rage as he watched the Mask leave. Clenching his hands into fists, smoke began to rise from them as they shook with anger.

"Run as fast as you want Stan, it doesn't matter. There's no place in the universe you can hide from the likes of me. You will be my pawn again, Stan. One way or another, you will be mine." Loki said, before laughing maniacally and disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Racing along, the Mask was grinning like a maniac…before he reached the outskirts of the park and found it completely surrounded by police officers, their cars set up as a blockade along the street and their guns trained on him.

"Put your hands up! You're under arrest!" one shouted through a megaphone, "We have you surrounded!"

Looking around, Mask saw that a helicopter was orbiting the scene. A smile crawled across his face as an idea formed in his head.

"I've got a better idea!" he exclaimed before pointing at the helicopter, "HIT IT!"

As if on cue, the helicopter turned on its spotlight. The light fell directly on the Mask, showing him clearly in the fading afternoon light. He was now dressed in tight white pants and a frilly blue shirt. He wore a black hat on his head and had red and green maracas tucked in his pants. Festive music began to play from an unknown source and the Mask took out the maracas and began to shake them to the beat. Then he did the last thing anyone was expecting…he began to sing.

"_They call me Cuban Pete,_

_I'm the king of the Rumba beat,_

_When I play the Maracas I go_

_Chick chicky boom,_

_Chick chicky boom."_

The police watched in stunned silence as the Mask danced around, shaking his hips to the beat, the spotlight following him as he went.

"_Yes sir, I'm Cuban Pete_

_I'm the craze, of my native street_

_When I start to dance everything goes_

_Chick chicky boom_

_Chick chicky boom."_

As they watched the Mask, who was now twirling around a street light, a few of the officers found themselves grooving or tapping their feet to the beet. Grooving over to a group of young women who had gathered to watch the excitement, but were now dancing dreamily to the music, he began to dance with them. The girls began to giggle as he sang to them.

"_The senorita's they sing,_

_And when they swing with their lumbaro._

_It's very nice!_

_So full of spice_

_And when they dance and they bring a happy ring,_

_They're a care-o, singing a song-_

_All the day long!"_

Turning back to the police officers, Mask found many of them dancing happily to the music. Smiling he continued to sing.

_So if you like the beat,_

_Take a lesson from Cuban Pete,_

_And I'll teach you to _

_Chick chicky boom_

_Chick chicky boom_

_Chick chicky boom!_

Looking around, Mask spotted a female officer who was desperately trying to resist dancing and keep her gun trained on him. Dancing over, he grabbed her and held her in a position for tango dancing as he began to dance with her while singing.

_Si Senorita, I know that you would like to chicky boom chick._

_It's very nice!_

_So full of spice!_

_I place my hand on your hip and if you will just give me your hand,_

_Then we shall try,_

_Just you and I-AYE-AYE-AYE!_

Twirling her around, he spun her into a group of waiting policemen. As Mask continued to dance, the police officers formed a conga line and began to dance around the street.

_So if you like the beat,_

_Take a lesson from Cuban Pete,_

_And I'll teach you to_

_Chick chicky boom_

_Chick chicky boom_

_Chick chicky boom!_

"SEE YA!" the Mask shouted as he threw down the maracas and sped away, becoming a blur of motion as he stopped singing and the music abruptly stopped, leaving the police in a haze of confusion.

Stopping in an alley a good deal away from the park, the Mask looked around nervously before resting against the wall behind him, letting out a sigh of relief.

"That was quite the show you pulled back there," said a voice to the Mask's left.

The Mask's eyes bugged out comically as he let out a scream of fear upon seeing Loki standing next to him.

"What? You didn't think you'd get away that easily did you?" Loki asked with a grin.

"I ain't going with you, chief," spat Mask as he backed away, fists clenched, "I'm never going back!"

"You don't understand do you Ipkiss?" Loki growled, stepping forward and raising his hands which crackled with power, "YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!!"

Snapping his fingers, the shadows in the alley began to shift and change, forming humanoid shapes. When they finished, the alley was filled with two dozen brown skinned, fanged creatures dressed in armor and carrying swords with hunched shoulders and red eyes. They growled savagely, but hung back waiting for Loki's orders.

"I want him alive," Loki said to them, as he waved his hands causing a red barrier of light to appear at the exits of the alley, "But break him as much as you want."

With that the beasts let out savage roars before charging Mask, who readied himself. The one at the head of the pack raised his sword to strike…only to have his head blown off in an explosion of bits of shadow as a resounding shot rang through the alley. The rest of the pack, along with Loki and the Mask, looked around wildly to find the source of the attack. Looking up, they saw Hellboy, the barrel of the Samaritan still smoking as he holstered it, standing on a roof overlooking the alley, while the rest of his team stood behind him.

"Well looks like we made it just in time," he said with a smirk, "Hell, they almost closed the doors on us."

"Hey Mask!" Constantine called out, "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but we were wondering if this is a private party or can anyone join?"

The Mask was silent for a moment before a smile grew on his face. "Well sure pal!" he shouted back, "Come on down!"

Smiling, Hellboy turned to the team, "You heard the man!" he said, "Let's go!"

With a roar, Etrigan leaped off the building, shaking and cracking the ground as he landed. Bobo quickly followed suit, rolling as he hit the ground. Constantine and Zatanna both disappeared with a popping sound before reappearing in the alley. Abe jumped off close to the wall and slid down it, slowing his decent before jumping off and rolling on the ground. Turning, Hellboy offered his hand to Liz. Taking it, she climbed up on his back, before he leaped off the roof himself. Cracking the pavement as he landed, he slowly rose to his full height before setting Liz on the ground.

Snarling, Loki eyed the team with hateful eyes, before turning to his troops and barking, "Kill them!"

Roaring, the beasts charged the team, swords raised. Lifting his stone hand, Hellboy blocked the sword of one beast while side stepping another's before backhanding it away. Turning towards the first one, he disarmed it with the flick of his wrist before grabbing it by the neck and choke slamming it into the ground. Drawing the Samaritain, he put it to the monster's head and blew it off, causing the creature to dissolve into shadowy nothingness. Snarling, the second beast recovered and charged Hellboy again. Hellboy ducked under it expertly before shoving the Samaritan against the beast's chest and blowing it away.

Dodging the strikes of two of the beasts, Etrigan grabbed the sword of a third, snapping the blade like a twig before punching the creature in the face, sending it sailing through the air and slamming into a wall. Whirling around and taking a deep breath, he shot a plume of hellfire at one of the creatures, destroying it. The other charged him again, screaming savagely. Grabbing its upraised arms; Etrigan flipped it over his shoulder and slammed it against the ground before stomping its head, dispersing it. By now the third creature had recovered and leapt at him, teeth and claws bared. Etrigan simply raised his hand and pointed it at the approaching creature. "_Creature of shadow, vanish from sight, when I fill our vision with radiant light!_" As Etrigan finished his incantation, a bright flash of white light emanated from his outstretched hand. The beast roared in pain before dispersing into nothing.

Abe expertly dodged sword strike after sword strike as three of the creatures attacked him. Roaring in agitation, all three swung down on him at once. Abe dodged the attack while all the swords struck where he had just been standing. With lightning speed, Abe trapped the swords beneath his foot while using his other one in a sweeping kick that sent all three stumbling back. Bending down, he grabbed one sword and threw it at one of the beasts, skewering it through the chest and destroying it. Picking up the other two swords, he twirled them expertly while approaching another of the creatures. Spinning around like a dancer, Abe struck the creature multiple times before stabbing it in the back and through the chest with one of the swords. The remaining beast charged Abe and swung at him. Abe ducked beneath it and cut out one of the creature's legs from under it as he rose back up. Whirling around, he twirled the blade around quickly before planting it in the creature's chest, destroying it.

John quickly drew his wand as he ducked below one of the beast's sword strikes. Pointing it at the creature, he shouted "_Expelliarmus_!" causing the creature's sword to fly from its hand. Whirling around, he drew Godsmack from its holster while disarming a second creature with his wand, before shoving Godsmack under its chin and pulling the trigger, destroying the beast. A roar from behind him caused Constantine to whirl around, just in time to get tackled by the first creature that attacked him. The impact caused him to lose his grip on his gun and wand, sending them skidding away. As John struggled to keep the beast's salivating mouth away from his face, he noticed that his wand was still close by. Barely holding the creature back with one arm, Constantine desperately reached out with for his wand, but it was just out of reach. Glancing down, he saw that his wand had landed on the end of a discarded piece of wood. Curling his hand into a fist, he slammed it against the side opposite his wand, causing it to flip into the air. Just snagging it out of the air, he jabbed it into the creature's ear before casting a low level electricity spell on it. The beast began to convulse uncontrollably, allowing John to push it off him. Jumping to his feet, John quickly stood above the beast before making a slashing motion with his wand and screaming "_Diffindo_!" Before it could blink, the creature's head was separated from its body and it dissolved into nothing. Letting out a sigh of relief, John began to relax…before he heard the sound of another of the creatures running at him, sword raised. Whirling around, John raised his wand and noticed a long steel pole left in the alley that the creature had just run by. Pointing his wand at the pole, he yelled "_Accio pole_!" causing it to fly towards him at high speeds and skewer the unsuspecting creature, dispersing it.

Blocking one of the creature's sword strikes with a Shield Charm, Zatanna followed through by tapping her wand against the blade and whispered "_Tusr_". Instantly the iron blade dissolved into red dust, leaving the creature confused and defenseless. Pressing her advantage, she severed the creature in half with a Cutting Curse, destroying it. Running her wand up her arm she muttered, "_Mra ot edalb_". As she did her arm changed from flesh and bone into a sharp blade that shredded her jacket's sleeve. Pointing her wand at one of the creatures she called out, "_Accio shadow creature_!" causing the beast to fly at her, allowing her to close line it with her blade arm, destroying it. Turning around, she saw another creature running at her. Raising her wand at it, she yelled "_Expecto Patronus_!" causing a mass of light to leap from her wand. The light quickly to the shape of a dove, which soared through the air and flew right through the creature's chest, dispersing into to shadow just as the Patronus dissolved into light.

With a savage screech, Bobo leapt at one of the creatures. Latching on to its face, Bobo began to claw at it wildly. The beast flailed around wildly, trying to get the chimp off. Seeing it in distress, another of the creatures rushed to the first's aid. It swung its sword at Bobo, but the ape saw it coming from a mile away and leaped off the creature's face in the nick of time, causing the creature to destroy its comrade by mistake. Flipping over the second creature, Bobo launched himself at its back. Latching on, he quickly grabbed the creature's neck and snapped it with skill and ease. Landing on the ground after the creature dispersed beneath him, Bobo immediately rushed another of the creatures. The beast was caught off guard by Bobo's savage charge; he was defensless when the chimp launched himself at its face. Tackling the creature to the ground and he sunk his teeth into the beast's neck, before ripping out its throat. As the beast dissolved into shadow, Bobo spat out the chunk of the creature he attacked, which immediately dispersed. "Ghastly taste," he said while wiping his mouth.

As three of the creatures charged her, Liz surrounded herself in her trademark aura of blue flame. Pointing her hand at one of the creatures, she shot a fireball at it, destroying it instantly. Another one raised its sword to swing at her. Acting quickly, Liz formed a blade of fire and parried the blow. The blade of flame cut the sword in half; protecting Liz and leaving the creature open for a counterattack. Spinning around, she swung her blade up, cutting the beast in half, destroying it. As the third creature approached her, Liz reformed the blade into a whip. She cracked it against the ground before lashing out with it, entangling the creature in the fiery strand. Pulling on it, she constricted the whip on the creature, dispersing it. She cracked the whip again before reeling it back in and lowered her flame aura.

As a group of creatures rushed him, the Mask leaned back and began to spin his arm around so much it became a blur, almost as if he was winding something up. As soon as one creature got close enough, the mask sprung forward, snapping his fist up and striking the creature in the jaw, sending it flying into the air and out of sight. As another of the beasts got close, the Mask leaped up, knees tucked into his chest. Shooting his legs out, his feet connected with the beast's face, before he used as a springboard to launch him into the air. As he flew through the air, he reached into his pockets and retrieved two comically oversized guns, each looking like six guns fused haphazardly together. Laughing like a madman, he pulled the triggers and showered the creature with bullets, destroying it. Landing, he blew on the still smoking barrels before spinning the expertly and putting them back in his pockets. As he finished he saw a final creature getting ready to attack him. The Mask held up his hand and the creature stopped almost instinctively. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a cigar and placed it into the creature's mouth. Without another word, he lit the cigar with a lighter he pulled from nowhere, patted the beast on the head and dashed away with a laugh. The creature stood in place for a few moments, puffing on the cigar, a look of utter confusion on its face…before the cigar exploded, destroying the beast.

Loki surveyed the alley, and the collection of foes before him with a hateful glare.

"Meddlesome mortals," he hissed, "always sticking your noses where they don't belong. What does this pathetic little man mean to you anyway? Last night, you were ready to rip him apart!"

"Things change Loki," spat John, "Like finding out a bastard like you setting him up for murder,"

"Ah, angry British guy, I didn't know you cared!" said the Mask, embracing John.

"Don't make me hurt you," was John's only reply.

"Touching," Loki spat, "but it doesn't matter. What all you fools seem to have forgotten is that I am Loki, a god, a Lord of Chaos!" As he said this, flames began to surround his hands and his glowing red eyes turned skyward where the air and the clouds churned. "For your meddling each of you has earned a slow and painful end. I will make you beg for death before the end, and when I finally do kill you I will take what is rightfully mine. I will-ACK!" Loki was unable to finish as Hellboy, who had taken the time while Loki was ranting to walk up to him, took that moment to throttle the god with his stone hand.

"You talk too much," Hellboy stated as he held Loki aloft.

Loki struggled against Hellboy's grip, before he took notice of the hand that was gripping him, causing his eyes to visibly widen.

"Y-you!" Loki said with a strangled voice.

"Yeah, me," Hellboy replied before throwing Loki on his rear end, "Trigon's bouncing baby boy. Now that we've been properly introduced, I think it's time for you to leave before you really make me mad. God or no god, from the look in your eyes I can tell you know just what kind of wallop this thing can do," he enforced his statement by holding his stone hand up to his face and clenching it, causing an aura of fire to surround it.

"Thing?" asked Loki incredulously. Then, a look of realization crossed the god's face and he did the last thing anyone expected…he began to laugh.

"You don't even know what that really is, do you?" he asked between laughs, pointing at the hand.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Hellboy.

"That's something I'll let you figure out for yourself. Until then I'll just say that there's more to that hand than fire and stone. But anyway it seems that I have lost what I sought, though thanks to you, old sport, I may have stumbled onto something much more precious." With that he disappeared in a cloud of green smoke, laughing, while the barriers around the alley dropped.

Hellboy stared at the spot where Loki had stood for a few moments before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he found Liz looking at him with a concerned look on her face.

"You okay, HB?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, sending a glance at his stone hand, "just fine."

"Well that's bloody great," said John, "does that mean we can go home now?"

Zatanna shot him a glare before elbowing him in the side, causing him to shoot her a "what?" look.

Hellboy chuckled, "Yeah, let's get out of here. You to Chuckles," he said, pointing at the Mask, before he stopped and gave him a hard look, "Unless you have any objections again."

"Oh, no way boss, can I call you boss? Anyway, you guys pulled my pretty little ass out of the fire back there, so that officially moves you all up to the top of my 'best friends in the world' list."

"Good, now come on…and don't call me boss."

"Sure thing, boss. Man this is going to be great. I can already tell, where going to be tight, real tight, like chaffing leather tight. Were gonna go on all kinds of adventures and kick so much ass. Yeah, it'll be great. So…where we going again?"

The rest of the team let out a collective sigh as they kept walking, doing their best to ignore the Mask's antics, something they were each afraid they were going to need to get use to sooner rather than later.

_B.P.R.D headquarter, library_

"Wow," said the Mask, rushing around the room, becoming a blur of motion, before settling in a comfy chair, with his legs crossed, "Nice place you got here, Prof. Who does your interior decorating?"

"Thank you, Mr. Mask," Professor Buttenholm, a smile of amusement on his face, "I'm glad you like it. I'm also pleased that you decided to join us here."

"Well, it was better than staying on the streets 'cause I'm sure my landlord has kicked me out by now. Besides you guys suddenly got a lot friendlier after you found out I was set up."

"Well…yes once again I speak for everyone when I say we are truly sorry for that misunderstanding."

"Ah don't sweat it Prof, I'm just giving you a hard time. Oh and my real name's Ipkiss, Stanly Ipkiss."

"So Stanly, I guess if you're staying with us from now on," said Zatanna, "is there anything we should send one of our agents to pick up from your apartment?"

"Not really I don't have much, just some papers, maybe my TV and…MY DOG WHO I HAVN'T FED IN LIKE THREE DAYS!! OH MY GOD I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT HIM!!" he yelled, running around in a little circle.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy friend," Jason said, putting his hands on the Mask's shoulders and leading him back to the chair, "I'm sure your dog is fine. We'll send one of our agents and pick him up right away."

"Yeah, thanks…guy-who's-name-I-don't-know. I just realized I don't any of your guy's names."

"Well, then Mr. Ipkiss, please allow me to introduce the team," began Professor Buttenholm, "First is my son, known simply as Hellboy," Hellboy held out his hand to shake.

"Son? What kind of things you into Prof?" Mask asked, shaking Hellboy's hand.

"I'm adopted," Hellboy replied with a stern look.

Liz chuckled, before walking up and offering her hand, "Don't mind HB, he's like that to everyone. Liz Sherman, good to meet you."

"Same to you, Lizzie. Now hard feelings boss?" Mask asked. Hellboy nodded his head and smirked in reply.

Next the Professor gestured to Abe, "Next we have our resident scholar, Abe Sapien."

"Good to meet ya, Gills," Mask said shaking his hand, earning a raised eyebrow from Abe.

"Here we have Zatanna Zatar and John Constantine, both skilled mages."

"Well how you doing, ZZ, Johnny?"

"It's John." Constantine replied with a glare.

"Johnny."

"John!"

"Johnny."

JO-Ow what was that for!?" Constantine demanded after Zatanna elbowed him to shut him up.

"Yes," said the Professor, before moving on to Jason, "Well here we have Jason Blood, also known as Etrigan."

"Hiyah, J-man. So I guess you're the Reason to the big yellow guy's Rhyme?"

"Clever," replied Jason with a smirk.

"I try."

"In the chair with the book there you can see Bobo T. Chimpanzee, known by some in the Bureau as Detective Chimp."

"Hey, Bo!" Mask called out, waving his hand wildly. Bobo raised his hand in recognition, not even looking up from his book.

"Finally, here we have my granddaughter, Raven," the Professor said, bringing Raven up to the Mask.

"How's it hanging Poe?" Mask asked with a smile, offering his hand.

"Not bad, Big Head," she replied with a smirk, shaking his hand.

"Oh, I'm gonna like you," he said, before making his way over to Hellboy, "So boss, Poe's the Prof's granddaughter, does that mean you and Lizzie…well you know," he asked before he started thrusting with his pelvis. Hellboy's eyes bulged at the implication, as did Liz's while a blush crossed her face. Seeing this, Mask's grin became noticeably forced and he began to shake his head while he kept thrusting, answering his own question. Feeling very awkward, Mask began to slowly walk away, still thrusting as he did so, while Hellboy and Liz watched him go, before they looked at each other and immediately looked away.

Just then, the library door opened and Manning walked in, carrying a file and a scowl on his face.

"Ah, Stanly, please let me introduce…" Professor Buttenholm began but Manning held up his hand.

"Please Professor, but I'd like it if our newest freak didn't know my name."

"So what's in the file, _Manning_?" asked John, stressing Manning's name and looking at Mask when he said it, earning a grin from the Mask and a glare from Manning.

"These," Manning stated, holding up the file, "are the papers authorizing the newest addition to our freak show. It seems that General Fury believes that this nutcase is to important to let run around on his own, so seeing as he came willingly, the General decided to add him to the team. Welcome to the Bureau, wacko."

"He has a name, Manning," Hellboy growled, stalking over to Manning and towering over him, "It's Stanly Ipkiss and I think he'd appreciate it if you called him buy it. Got it?"

"I-I-I d-don't take orders f-from y-y-you, f-freak," replied Manning, trying to not let his fear show.

"Sure you don't" Hellboy shot with a grin.

At that Manning turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, muttering something about more important things to do. As soon as he left, Mask came up to Hellboy, laughing happily.

"You sure showed him, boss. He thought he was so bad but then you come up, and had him tripping all over himself trying to get out," he said merrily.

"Don't worry about it. You're one of us now, and if anything, we watch each others' backs. Us freaks got to stick together after all, right?" Hellboy explained.

"Right, but still, I get a good feeling from you guys. Like this is where I'm suppose to be. Hell, I feel so good, I think I could sing. Ya know what, I think I will."

"Wait, what?" was all John could say before Mask sprung into action.

"Hit it boys!" he shouted, throwing a hand into the air. Suddenly the whole room went black, before a set of spotlights from out of nowhere turned on, focusing on the Mask. Then, some jazzy music began to play as Mask began to sing.

"_Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves,_

_Scheherezad-ie had a thousand tales._

_But boss you in luck 'cause up your sleeves_

_You got a brand of magic that never fails."_

Next, he continued to sing while flexing his muscles which bulged freakishly, ripping through his shirt and leaving him topless.

"_You got some power in your corner now _

_Some heavy ammunition in your camp_

_You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how_

_See all I got to do is where this mask_

_And I'll say"_

Suddenly, he sped around the room, pulling chairs and tables covered in white table clothes from seemingly nowhere at sat the others at them two at a time. He stopped at Hellboy and Liz's table, dressed as a waiter with a thin mustache and a pad of paper as he sang.

"_Mister Hellboy, sir_

_What will your pleasure be?_

_Let me take your order_

_Jot it down_

_You ain't never had a friend like me._

_No no no_

_Life is your restaurant_

_And I'm your maitre d'!_

_You ain't never had a friend like me."_

He dashed over to Hellboy and looped his arm over his shoulder as he sung.

"_Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service_

_You're the boss_

_The king, the shah_

_Say what you wish_

_It's yours! True dish_

_How about a little more Baklava?"_

Then he pulled out a menu and showed it to Hellboy.

"_Have some of column "A"_

_And all of column "B"!_

_I'm in the mood to help you dude_

_You ain't never had a friend like me"_

Suddenly all the tables disappeared in a puff of smoke and Mask was standing in the middle of a spotlight, dressed in his yellow tux.

"_Can your friends do this?"_

He levitated his hat off his head with a wave of his hand as it grew to enormous size. The hat shot out…and landed on Raven, swallowing her whole before returning to normal size.

"_Can your friends do that?"_

He walked over to the hat and picked it up before sticking his arm in it, rummaging for something.

"_Can your friends pull this out their little hat?_

Pulling his hand out he know held Raven, know transformed into an anthropomorphized rabbit, by the ears. "Hey!" she shouted.

"_Can your friends go, poof?"_

He pointed his finger at Raven, who disappeared in a puff of smoke…only to be replaced with a giant black and purple dragon with red eyes.

"_Well, looky here_

_Can your friends go, Abracadabra, let 'er rip_

_And then make the sucker disappear?"_

Mask spun his arms around before pointing them at the dragon, causing it to disappear in another puff of smoke. A second later, Raven reappeared standing next to Hellboy, a dazed look on her face. Suddenly multiple lights began to flash and fireworks went off as Mask went into his finale.

"_Mister Hellboy, sir, have a wish or two or three_

_I'm on the job you big nabob_

_You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend_

_You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend_

_YOU A'INT NEVER! HAD A! FRIEND! LIKE! MEEEEEEEEE!_

_You ain't never had a friend like me, hah!"_

Mask finished with his arms and legs spread wide, hat in one hand and eyes closed in a big smile as the library returned to normal. He stood there for a few seconds, before he opened his eyes to see what everyone thought…just in time to see the library door close as they left.

"Guys?" he questioned the empty room, before running of the room after them, his voice echoing behind him as he went, "Hey guys! What's the matter? Didn't you like it? Hey guys! Come on, wait up! Guys!"

A/N: God, I'm so sorry, this took so long. I've been so busy this past month that I've barely had anytime to work on this. I hope you like it and I hope to have the next chapter out a LOT sooner.

One thing I want to do is act you guys your opinion on something. There's still a number of chapters to go in this part, but I was wondering which part you want to see next, Raven's time in Hogwarts (the main story starts when Raven is 16, so this would just by Year 1 to start with and see how it goes from there,) or the part I have planned entirely dedicated to Batman and his starting adventures. Give me your opinions and I'll see that it gets done.

Hope you guys didn't mind Mask's musical numbers. If you did, then they will never appear again. It's just something I like about him. Honestly he's the only superhero who could get away with something like that. I changed some words in the second song to fit the scene better.

Bonus points to those who know where Raven's nickname for Mask comes from.


	9. A Roar of Thunder Part 1

Chapter 9: Roar of Thunder

**Chapter 9: A Roar of Thunder**

_June 5__th__, 2007, Loki's Palace, __Jotunheim__, Asgard_

Located in the daunting icy mountains north of the serene landscapes of Asgard was the realm of Jotunheim, home of the Ice Giants, mortal enemies of the Asgardians. In the middle of this grand mountain range sat a mountain that literally stood above the rest. Miles in height, the mountain itself was an imposing defense, but combined that with the humongous fortress built into its summit, and it was easy to see why the mighty Ice Giants chose this as the seat from which they rule their frozen kingdom.

The fortress was made out of a combination of stone and ice, looking as though it had been carved from the living rock of the mountain itself. The fortress consisted of two walls, the outer one made of stone and the inner of ice. Within these walls was a gigantic keep at least six stories tall, crafted out of the mountain's very peak. The most noticeable thing about thing about the fortress however, was the 1000 foot tall Ice Giant. The entire keep seemed to be built around him, suggesting that he was their before the fortress had been built. His torso extended into the keep, disappearing from view, while his arms extended into the snow covered stone between the keep and the first wall, on either side of the keep. Magic symbols circled the area where his arms entered the ground, glowing red and humming with power.

Magic symbols also decorated the keep's flat roof, dominated by a large central symbol, contained within a circle and surround by smaller symbols. Suddenly, the symbols glowed red before a large column of green smoke exploded from the center. The giant looked down with its red eyes as the smoke slowly dissipated…revealing Loki standing in the center of the roof.

"How went your trip to Midgard go, little one? Did you find him?" the giant asked in a booming voice.

Loki merely fixed the giant with a glare that spoke more than any number of words could.

"That bad, huh?"

"I'd rather not talk about it, esteemed ancestor."

"When are you going to realize that you cannot defeat the Thunderer through your trickery and magic? You are weak and pathetic Loki. You're an insult to your Frost Giant kin. I am continually amazed that they don't rise up and overthrow their so called king, it's not like you'd put up a fight. Your father Laufey should have killed you the moment you were born."

Loki visibly shook with rage at the tounge lashing he had received but his voice remained even. "Weak as I may be, there is still something that I can do that you can't, Ymir."

"What would that be, little one?"

"This," with that, Loki turned on his heel and walked away, descending down a flight of stairs into the keep.

"Funny as always, Loki," Ymir, bellowed after Loki, "VERY FUNNY!"

Loki descended the stairs and entered a hallway that was four times the size of any normal hallway. As he walked down the hall, he passed men three times his height, each with flowing white beards and hair, and blue skin. Each was going about the keep, performing different tasks, though each took the time to bow respectively as Loki passed. As we walked, one of the giant's began walking alongside Loki.

"What is it, Rullef?" Loki asked, not even looking at the giant.

"The Enchantress arrived not long ago, she requested an audience with you, milord,"

"Where is she?" Loki asked, snapping his head around to look at the giant.

"She's waiting in your throne room, milord"

"Good, now get out of my sight," at that, the giant scurried away without another word.

Loki continued walking for awhile before he came to a huge wooden door. Two giants guarded the door and bowed their heads as they opened the door for him.

"Nobody disturbed us, or I will kill you both for your ineptness," Loki barked as he passed through the door, entering a gigantic room. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling while a long, plush red carpet led from the door to the opposite side of the room. The room was dominated by a large throne carved out of ice, in which sat the lifeless form of a particularly large frost giant, his body preserved in a layer of ice. In front of the throne sat a human sized one, this one crafted from fine wood and decorated with gold and jewel inlays. In the throne sat a beautiful woman. She appeared to be in her twenties, with long, wavy blond hair, bright blue eyes, and flawless pale skin. She wore a green sleeveless tunic, long, fingerless green gloves green short shorts and a pair of knee-high boots. She rested her hands on her crossed legs as she smiled sweetly at Loki.

"Loki," she greeted in a rich voice.

"Amora," he replied, "what brings you to my home unannounced?"

"What, can't a girl pop in on an old friend every once in awhile?"

Loki's glare answered her question.

"Hmm, you're rather cheerless Loki. Tell me what ails you."

"The same thing that has always ailed me…Thor."

Amora shot up from her seat, a wide smile on her face.

"You found him!? Where is he, I must go to him!"

"Easy girl, I believe that you had something important to tell me. And I wouldn't get your hopes up. He seems to have caught the eye of an Amazon princess and I doubt she'll give him up without a fight."

"We'll see about that," she snarled, "As for why I'm here, the Lords of Chaos have called a meeting and require you to join."

"A meeting! What for?"

"It seems we've finally figured out where the Lords of Order and their Sentinels of Magic are keeping Mordru."

"They have, have they? Well then this _will_ be interesting won't it? So where have they been keeping the old fool?"

"I don't know, I guess we'll have to go and see. Would you mind letting me use your portal with you? You don't want me to be late to such an important meeting do you?" she asked with a playful pout.

"If you insist, and please cut the temptress routine. I fell for it once, and it's never going to happen again." Loki said with a stern look.

"Come now Loki, you can't say you didn't enjoy it at the time," she replied, running a finger along Loki's chin, earning a grin from him.

"That's what I thought, now let's be going, shall we?"

"Let's," he said before walking around the large throne, Amora in tow. Behind the throne, Loki placed his hand against a section of the wall and muttered something under his breath. His hand glowed green, as did the section of the wall he was touching. Then the glow ceased and the stones in the wall section disappeared, revealing a narrow corridor in their wake. Loki and Amora walked down the corridor before they came to a small, dead-end room lit by torches. On the room's floor was carved a circle with a pentagram engraved within it. Stepping onto the circle, Loki began to chant in a guttural, ominous sounding language while Amora waited patiently within the circle. Loki's eyes began to glow red as a black aura encircled his hands. Suddenly, Loki finished his chant with a grand gesture and one last dark word. The pentagram began to glow red before the room outside the circle broke away, appearing to shatter like glass. Wind whipped around Loki and Amora as walls of flame sped past them as if they were falling. There was a loud thud as the circle connected with solid rock.

Loki and Amora were now standing on a large outcropping of rock, looking over a seemingly endless abyss of black and red flame. Millions of bodies could be seen seething in the flames as their screams filled the air. The outcropping was connected to a large mass land that disappeared into the horizon. The land was completely barren, with large outcroppings of rock serving as the only scenery. As Loki and Amora looked around, a large creature lumbered up. It was easily the size of a frost giant, with red skin and a rather rotund body. It had a long, dog-like face, with a nose ring in its snout, beady black eyes, bat-like ears, goat-like horns, and a mane of stringy black hair. Short spikes ran down its back and onto its fat, naked tail. A pair of vestigial, bat wings grew from its back. A short loin clothe saved what little modesty the demon had. In one of its clawed hands, it held a chain which was connected to a cage, overflowing with screaming people, begging for mercy in every conceivable language. Their pleas fell on deaf ears however, as the demon reached the edge of the abyss and lifted the cage, dumping the screaming people into the abyss. As the screams became part of the chorus that surrounded them, the demon placed the now empty cage on the ground and began to lumber back the way it came.

As it left, a figure came into view, who had been previously hidden behind the demon. The figure was a short, morbidly obese man. He wore ill fitting pants, an open leather jacket with spikes and chains, and a dirty white undershirt. He was partially bald, with only a small tuft of white hair on the top of his head. He had blue diamonds painted around his red eyes.

"Clown?" asked Loki.

Immediately, the man whirled around to see who was talking to him

"Oh, Loki, Amora! Sorry, didn't see you there," he said in a sickly voice while smiling, revealing rows of yellow, pointed teeth, "I was enjoying the view."

"Yes, your master uses the Abyss quite…efficiently," Amora commented.

"Yep, there ain't no quicker way around Hell. Course, there ain't no way that's more painful either." Clown replied.

"Well, I suppose Lucifer wouldn't be concerned with that when moving the damned around, would he?" questioned Loki.

"No, that he wouldn't Loki. That he wouldn't" Clown answered with an evil smile. As he did, there was a loud screeched as a winged demon flew by, diving into the Abyss and grabbing a damned soul, before pulling up and flying into a open, flaming portal, the soul screaming as it went. Thousands of similar demons could be seen performing identical tasks as well.

"Well, we best be going. I've got to get you to the gates before the meeting starts." With that, Clown turned from the cliff and began to walk into the wasteland, beckoning Loki and Amora to follow.

As they climbed to the top of a small rock hill near the cliffs, a long winding road came into view. In one direction, the road stretched off into the horizon. In the other, it led up to a humongous black iron gate. The stones it was built of shined intensely, giving off a bright glow that lit up the surrounding countryside. The light was obscured however, by the masses of people marching down it. Moans of horror and sorrow echoed from the masses, drowning out all other sounds. Forcing the masses along where humanoid, red skinned, bald demons, dressed in jet black armor and armed with flaming whips. Near the side of the road, looking completely out of place, was a rusted street sign. On it was written, in faded paint "Route 666: the Highway to Hell."

"Welcome," said Clown, holding his arms up dramatically, "to the Black Parade!"

"I think they wrote a song about that, Clown," commented Loki.

"Who do you think inspired it?" Clown replied off handedly, before walking down the hill and along the road to the black gate.

"Clown," said Amora after they had walked a ways, "I've always wanted to ask, why do the road's stones glow so brightly? What is it paved with?"

Clown paused, before looking over his shoulder and saying with a sadistic grin, "Good intentions,"

A small smile crossed Amora's lips as she continued to walk, "Of course."

After a few minutes they came to the gate, which easily stood twenty stories tall, its doors sealed firmly shut. Across the top of the gate was written the words, "Welcome to Hell, abandon all hope all ye who enter here." In front of the gate stood a large pedestal with a gigantic black book sitting on it. Flipping through the book was an equally large demon. He was dressed in a large bulky, black robe with the hood pulled up, obscuring all except his burning red eyes. His hands peaked out from under his robes as he turned the pages of the book. They were black in color and appeared to be made of multiple pseudopods wrapped together to form a makeshift appendage. From the back of his cloak billowed a veritable forest of black, shadow-like tentacles. They slithered among the pathetic masses crowded around him, apparently allowing him to identify them without looking at them. When the demon had identified one of the souls, the tentacle wrapped around the soul and threw it into one of the cages belonging to one of the many waiting demons that Loki and Amora had seen before. In one part of the wall near the gate was a roost, housing hundreds of the winged demons that they had seen flying about the Abyss before. A number of tentacles moved within the roost, giving the demons unheard instructions, sending them flying off into the Abyss to carry out the tasks. Surrounding the gate; armed with archaic weapons, were a number of another type of demon. They appeared to have rough black skin that covered their entire body more like a bodysuit than actual skin. Their faces were mouthless and had white marks aeound their eyes. Their eyes glowed a sickly green. Hundreds of them roamed the wall and the ground in front of it.

Behind the pedestal, pacing warily in front of the gate was a humongous, three-headed dog. The dogs fur was pitch black and its three heads resembled Dobermans with glowing red eyes. A long chain kept the dog secured to the wall, keeping it away from the hapless souls in front of it. Currently though, the dog was preoccupied with the man standing before it. The man appeared elderly, with pale wrinkled skin that clung to his lean frame like he was a starving man. He was dressed in a black suit that resembled that of an undertaker. He also wore a black top hat and round black sunglasses. He carried a simple black cane in his black gloved hands.

"Hades?" called Loki, as they finally reached the gate.

The man turned around and regarded them with a sinister smile.

"Loki! My favorite nephew! So good to see you," he greeted in a raspy voice, "And the lovely Enchantress as well. I assume you're both here for the meeting?"

"Indeed we are uncle," replied Loki, "What are you doing, if I may ask?"

"You may. I am merely admiring this lovely specimen of such a noble breed, nothing like those mongrels they have on the mortal plane," Hades explained.

"Weren't you the one who originally created the Cereberai breed?" asked Amora.

"Is it wrong to take pride in one's work, Enchantress?" Hades retorted.

"Actually, it is," commented Clown, "but don't worry, you'll get plenty of that around here."

Turning, Clown cupped his hands around his mouth and called up to the cloaked demon, "Hey Minos!"

"What is it, Violator?" the demon asked in a booming, yet uninterested voice, not even bothering to look up from his work.

"I got three Lords of Chaos here for the boss's meeting, so hurry up and open the gate to his pad already!" Clown yelled.

Suddenly, one of the tentacles shot out and grabbed Clown by the throat, lifting him into the air as he struggled against the tentacle's crushing embrace.

"I'll open the gate to Lucifer's palace Violator, but know this," stated Minos with an edge to his voice, though still not looking at Clown. "I do not take orders from the likes of you, no matter who you are escorting. So do not presume otherwise. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal, Minos, crystal," Clown replied in a strangled voice.

"Good, then I'll have the Hellspawn open the gate for you," he said, before releasing Clown, dropping him on his ass. Lifting one of the tentacles, he reached out to one of the guard demons and touched it on the head. Instantly, some unspoken communication passed between the two. Nodding its head, the Hellspawn walked up to the gate and began fiddling with a group of glowing stones (a ring of stones with a large central one), located near it. After he got the smaller stones in the desired arrangement, the Hellspawn hit the central stone, causing them all to glow brightly. The outline of the gates began to glow with a bright light, before they began to slowly open. As they did, a contingent of Hellspawn moved in front of the gate, readying their weapons, though the mass of damned souls didn't seem eager to rush in.

When the gates were fully opened, a large, lavish antechamber could be seen through a wavering field of energy, which crackled with dangerous power. Lifting another one of his tentacles, Minos stretched it to incredible length and ran it from the portals top and bottom, trailing a line of black energy as he did. Completing the final stage, the field of energy dispersed and the portal stood fully open.

"The portal is open," Minos stated dryly, still having not looked up from his book.

"Thanks," Clown said sarcastically, rubbing his neck, before ushering Hades, Loki and Amora through the gate.

As they passed through the gate, they arrived in the antechamber of Lucifer's palace. The floor and walls were made out of polished marble. The ceiling was domed and rose hundreds of feet into the air. A large spiraling staircase ran along the wall stretching towards the ceiling. Balconies adjacent to doors were built into the wall at random points along the staircase. On the floor was engraved a large pentagram within a circle. To the right of the entrance was a long hall full of doors. To the left was a curved window that took up the entire wall. The window looked out on a humongous city bathed in the red light of the fires that dominated this realm.

"This way," Clown said, leading them down the hallway of doors. After awhile they came to a particularly large door, made out of gold and inlaid with precious gems. Carved into the door was a smiling, demonic face. Walking towards the doors, Clown pushed against them and they opened easily. Steeping to the side, Clown made an "after you," motion towards the three gods. Without giving him a second look, the three walked into the chamber, followed by Clown.

The chamber was a large circular room also with a domed ceiling. The floor was made of obsidian and was engraved with a large eye. Torches were placed in a circle around the room, bathing the room in light with there red and black flames. Fourteen large thrones ringed the room, all but three occupied.

The one sitting directly across from the door was an elegant looking, blond hair, blue eyed man. He was dressed in a black tuxedo and was incredibly handsome. A pair of white feathery wings grew from his back. He had a martini in his hand which he drank from absent-mindedly. With the other he stroked the back of the hand of the woman next to him. She had long black hair and a revealing black dress. She appeared completely normal, except for the two goat-like horns growing from her head.

"Loki, Amora, Hades," he said in a refined voice, "Nice of you to show up. Glad you could make it on such short notice."

"We do what we can Lucifer," Loki replied walking over to one of the empty thrones and sitting, Amora doing the same with the throne to the right of his. Hades, walked over to his own throne which was flanked by two occupied ones. As he approached, the man in the throne to the left stood up. He had short black hair, a black goatee and dark brown eyes. He wore a suit of purplish-blue, Greek-style armor, including a blue cape that reached the ground. Strapped to his back was a large two handed axe.

"Father," he said, smiling, "We were beginning to worry about you,"

"What do you mean 'we'?" asked a refined, feminine voice. In the seat to the right of Hades' sat an elegant looking woman with long black hair. She wore a long, black, form-fitting evening dress. Her most distinguishing feature however, was that one of her hands and half her face was only bone.

"I was never worried about father for a moment, Pluto," she said, with a touch of arrogance.

"Hela is right," Hades said as he sat down, fixing Pluto with a stern glare, "I may look like an old man, but I am perfectly capable to of taking care of myself."

"I-I'm sorry, father. I just-"

"Hey, Pluto, here's a tip," said a man from across the room, seated to Lucifer's right. He was bald headed and wore a white suit. He wore no shoes and a strange black ooze dripped from his feet. "Sit down and shut up."

Anger burned in Pluto's eyes as he reached for his axe as he approached the man.

"Pluto!" snapped the woman to Lucifer's left, halting Pluto in his tracks, "I would ask that you not attack another Lord of Chaos, especially in this chamber. As for you, Satan," she said, turning her gaze to the man in the white suit, "don't let me catch you picking fights among our fellow Lords again. Understood?"

"Yes, Lilth," Pluto said, taking his seat.

"Sure thing, mom," Satan said, smiling evilly at Pluto, "whatever you and pops say"

"Now if there are no further interruptions, I believe we can get this meeting underway," said Lucifer.

"Actually, Lucifer," Loki spoke up, "I have something that you might find interesting. Specifically you, Trigon."

At that, the figure to the left of Lilith sat a large red humanoid. He had four glowing red eyes and antlers growing from his head. White hair grew from his head and he had cloven feet. The only thing he wore was a black loin cloth, showing off his impressive figure.

"And what would that be Loki?" he asked in a deep gruff voice.

"Well, I recently ran into your son," Loki replied with a smirk.

At that, Trigon leaned forward in his seat, "You did! Where?"

"In this little town in New Jersey,"

"Why were you in New Jersey?" Satan asked.

"If you must know I was…retrieving some lost merchandise."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with your brother Thor would it?" asked a smooth, female voice. Turning to his right, he fixed a glare on the woman sitting to Amora's right. She had long black hair and purple eyes. She wore a long, form fitting, toga-like dress that showed off her beautiful body.

"What's it matter to you, Circe?" he spat.

"HA! Well I guess that answers that question," said the man sitting to the left of Pluto and right of Circe. He had fair features, with blond hair and blue eyes. He wore silver armor and a long black cape while a sword was strapped to his waist. "When are you going to understand that you can't beat Thor? Not with your tricks and schemes anyway."

"I wouldn't expect much better from a brute like you Ares. I'm surprised that you and Thor didn't get along better," stated Loki.

"We would have if he wasn't such a do-gooder," Ares explained.

"Enough with this babbling!" Trigon shouted, "What do you know of my son!"

"I know that he's still with that group of 'paranormal investigators'. I know that they must be stationed in New Jersey somewhere, there's no way they could have responded as quickly as they did if they didn't. And I know that you're daughter must be with them."

"This is good," Trigon said, grinning, "this is very good,"

"Yes," said a man sitting next to the right of Trigon. He had pale skin and a bald head. He had black eyes and a long cloak that seemed to have stars twinkling within it. "Now, once we free Mordru, we can begin our search for her and finally put our plan into action."

"Dominus is right, but first we must release Mordru." Luficer said, indicating to the empty seat, "Now that we know where he is, who will go and get him?" he asked.

"I'll go," Amora volunteered, "I'll take my sister and the Executioner with me as well."

"Well, I can't very well let my former pupil go it alone, so I'll accompany her as well," Circe stated.

"As will Baron Mordo," said Trigon, "He's one of my agents on Earth, a servant of my lieutenant Dommaru and more importantly, Mordru's former pupil. I've not returned my prophet, Rasputin, to Earth since he died again, so Mordo should be in his castle awaiting orders, meaning he'll be easier to contact on such short notice."

"Can you send any of your other agents to help as well?" asked Dominus.

"No, none of them can be contacted and get to where Mordru is being held in as little time as we have. Only Mordo can."

"Fine," said Satan, "Then we'll send Clown here along with a regiment of hellspawn as back up. You up for it Clown?"

"Whatever you say boss," responded Clown who had been standing silently by the door the entire meeting.

"Then it's settled," stated Lucifer, "Unless anyone has any objections?" He looked around the room, looking for any objections. Finally his gaze fell on the one Lord who had been silent the entire meeting. It was hard to see him, as the part of the room he was sitting in was cast in shadow. What could be made out was his hulking form, and his glowing red eyes.

"What about you, anything to say?" Lucifer asked. The figure merely shook his head, signifying he agreed with the plan.

"Very well my fellow Lords of Chaos," Lucifer said, taking a sip from his glass, "Let's go do some damage."

_Metropolis, that night,_

A storm was raging over the city of Metropolis. Lightning crackled and thunder boomed. Rain poured down in buckets. Lights shown from within many of the buildings of this mighty city, sheltering the diverse number of people who lived in it. One person in particular stared out at the rain in dull fascination. He appeared rather young, in his early twenties, with wavy blond hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in predominantly blue clothing, including a jacket with a musical note design on the shoulders. He sat within an old brick building, which within the small community surrounding it was known as the Woodlands. The young man was seated at a desk covered in paperwork. The room he was sitting in was huge, much larger than the building appeared able to hold. Large bookshelves dominated the room, holding many strange items.

Lazily he picked up a trumpet that sat on the desk and began to play it. He appeared to be a master at the instrument, as a beautiful melody floated out of the trumpet and around the large room. Suddenly, the young man stopped playing, his attention draw to the large window near his desk. Looking up, he saw a raven pecking at the window, apparently trying to catch his attention.

Getting up from his seat, the young man approached the window. As he got close, the raven fluttered off of its perch and began to descend to the ground below. The bird drifted slowly down, unhindered by the storm. Eventually, it came to the closed gate on the outside of the building…were it took a perch on the shoulder of one of two people standing outside the gate, wearing traveling cloaks and staring up at the window.

A bolt of lightning laced through the sky, causing the young man to snap to attention. Quickly turning from the window, he rushed through the room, running through isles of bookcases. Eventually, he came to another desk, larger than his, sitting in an opening of sorts. A large, gnarly tree was somehow growing from the floor of the building. Hanging from the tree by a noose was a suit of medieval armor. Seated at the desk was a woman apparently in her twenties. She had long, jet black hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. She wore a dark colored business suit that did nothing to hide her amazing figure. She was currently absorbed in her own paperwork and didn't notice the young man approach.

"Ms. White!" shouted the man as he approached, "Ms. White!"

"What is it, Blue?" she asked, not even looking up from her paperwork.

"There's some people…at the gate," he said, slightly out of breath.

"And?"

"And I think they want to come in."

"Are they Fables?" she asked.

"I don't think so…but I don't think they're Mundies either."

This finally got Ms. White's attention, as she looked at Blue with a raised eyebrow, "What are you talking about, Blue?"

"I'll show you," he said, leading her through the maze of bookcases, eventually coming to a door that led into a hallway that looked like one in a regular apartment building. He lead her too a nearby window and pointed down at the two figures.

"There," he said, "they're just standing there looking at the building and that raven on the big one's shoulder flew up to the window by my desk to get my attention, like it knew I'd be there. I think they might still be looking at us."

"Go get the sheriff, Blue," she ordered, not looking away from the window, "Meet me with him in the main lobby."

"Right," Blue said, before turning and running down the hallway to a nearby staircase. Running down the stairs, he exited on the next floor. He came to a door with the words "Bigby Wolf, Sheriff" written on them and entered.

Sitting at a desk in the office was a man with mid-length brown hair and brown eyes. He had a short, scruffy beard and a large amount of body hair which could be seen on his arms thanks to his rolled up sleeves. He wore a white button down shirt and a pair of brown pants. He was smoking a cigarette as he looked over the pile of paper on his desk.

"Sheriff!" exclaimed Blue as he burst into the room.

"What is it Blue?" asked Bigby without looking up from his paperwork.

"There's someone at the gate, Ms. White wants you to meet her down there quickly," Blue explained.

"All right, all right, hold your horses," he said as he got up and grabbed the brown trench coat from a nearby coat rack. Following, Blue out the door and down the stairs, they came to the main lobby of the building were Ms. White was waiting along with two men, a door man and a security guard.

"What's up, Snow?" Bigby asked.

"It looks like we have visitors," she said, indicating through the glass door, to the two figures standing outside the gates.

"Well I guess we'd better go and say hello," Bigby said, "John and Grimble, you two stay here and watch the door."

"You got it, Sheriff," Grimble replied.

"After you," Bigby said, gesturing to Snow to lead the way.

Smirking at Bigby, she headed out the door, producing an umbrella as she went. Walking up to the gate, she looked at the strangers curiously, as they merely stood where they were and watched her approach.

"Hello!" she called over the sound the storm, "Can I help you?"

"Yes," spoke the taller one in a booming voice, "We seek shelter,"

"I'm sorry but we can't take in strangers. This is a very private community," she said.

"I believe you will be willing to make an exception."

"And why is that?" asked Bigby, "Who are you two?"

In response, the large one pulled his hood back, revealing shoulder length blond hair, a blond beard and sharp blue eyes.

"My name is Thor, God of Thunder," he said, as a lightning bolt flashed behind him.

_June 6__th__, Sanctum Sanctorium, Metropolis_

In one room deep within the confines of the Sanctum Sanctorium, Dr. Strange was meditating. He now appeared to be in his mid thirties with a thin beard growing around his mouth. He wore a long red cloak over a silky blue shirt and black pants. He was currently in a lotus position, floating a few feet of the ground, eyes screwed shut in concentration.

Sitting a few feet away from him was a woman around his age. She had pale skin and white hair, though it appeared natural and not from age. She wore a purple shirt and black colored pants and was meditating in the same way Strange was.

The room they were in was pure white, with only a padded floor and no furniture, perfect for meditation.

"_Concentrate Clea,_" Dr. Strange's voice said in her head, "_Reach out. Feel the Astral Plane surrounding you. Do you feel it?"_

"_Yes,_" Clea thought back, "_Yes I feel it,"_

"_Good, now let it surround you. Let your spirit go. Let the Astral Plane flow through you like the wind, like water, like light._"

"_I-I can feel it, Master, I think I'm-_"

A loud knocking was heard from the door, snapping Clea out of her meditation and causing her to drop to the ground in surprise. Sighing, Steven came out of his meditation and descended to the floor.

"Yes?" he asked, rubbing his eyes in agitation.

The door opened and an Asian man with a bald head and dressed in a green, Chinese shirt and pants.

"Dr. Strange, please forgive my interruption," the man apologized, bowing in respect.

"It's alright Wong, what did you need to tell me?"

"Deputy-Mayor White has requested to see you, Doctor. She says it's urgent and wishes you to come to Fabletown immediately," Wong explained.

"All right, tell her I'll be right there," Dr. Strange said, dismissing Wong. Wong bowed deeply before exiting the room and closing the door behind him.

"Damn it, I was so close," Clea said, hitting the floor in frustration.

"Don't worry, my dear," Strange assured her, rising to his feet before helping her up, "You'll get it eventually. The Vishanti know I had a difficult time learning Astral Projection when I was training with the Ancient One."

"Thank you, Master," she said, a slight blush on her face.

"Think nothing of it," he said with a charming smile, "Now why don't you accompany me to Fabletown to see what the matter is."

"M-me," she said surprised, "Why not someone else?"

"Well you are a Sorceress Supreme in training aren't you? You'll have to learn to handle these things. Besides, all the others are off on other business, its only you, Wong and I…and I suppose the Phantom Stranger if you really wanted to count him."

"Right, of course," she said, lowering her head in embarrassment.

"There's nothing to worry about Clea, you'll be fine," he assured her, before taking her hand, causing her to blush, "and I'll be with you every step of the way. Okay?"

Clea nodded, a slight blush still on her face.

"Good, the let's be off," he said, before making a motion with his free hand, causing them both to disappear with a loud pop.

A second later and they were standing in the mayor's office in the administration building of the hidden community known as Fabletown. They appeared right in front of Blue's desk, startling a small winged monkey who was going through some of the files. The monkey screeched and fell of the desk in surprise.

"Oh, my apologies, Buffkin," Strange said, "We didn't mean to startle you."

"It's no problem Doctor," Buffkin said in a high pitched voice, "If you're looking for Ms. White, she over by the Foresworn Knight."

"Thank you Buffkin," Strange replied, before turning and walking away, beckoning Clea to follow him. After a few minutes of traveling between the large shelves of books, the two eventually came upon Snow White's desk Gathered around the nearby desk of Snow White were gathered Snow, Blue and Bigby, who seemed to be discussing something. Nearby stood two people Dr. Strange had never seen before. One was a muscular, blond haired man with a hammer on his back and a raven on his shoulder. The other was a young, ebony haired woman dressed in what appeared to be a cross between a bathing suit and armor.

Looking up, Snow noticed Strange's entrance, and walked over to him, greeting him with a handshake.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Dr. Strange," Snow greeted him.

"It's quite all right, Ms. White, it's what I'm here for. I take it these are the people you wished me to meet?" he asked.

"Yes, this is-" Snow was interrupted when the blond haired man came over and grasped Strange's hand in a bone crushing handshake.

"I am Thor, god of thunder and son of Odin, lord of Asgard," he said cheerfully, "And this is my close friend, Princess Diana of the Amazons. And you are…?" Thor paused allowing Dr. Strange to fill the gap.

"Dr. Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme of this realm," he replied, rubbing his hand in pain, "And this is Clea, Sorceress Supreme of the Dark Realm and my apprentice."

"It's my pleasure to make your acquaintance," Clea said, bowing.

"Well met, Stephen Strange," Thor said joyfully, "It is my honor to meet Midgard's Sorcerer Supreme," Thor said, before turning and talking to Diana in a language no one else present understood, the Amazon merely nodding in response.

"Interesting," Dr. Strange said before turning to Snow, "I take it you want me to clarify his claim?"

"Yes, we want to be sure about he's who he says he is," she answered.

"And not just some crazy off the street," finished Bigby.

"Please, good people, I assure you that we are who we claim to be," pleaded Thor.

"Yes well, the Eye of Agamatto will prove definitely for everyone if you are who you say you are," explained Dr. Strange, as he touched the bright red stone that clasped the end of his cloak together. "_I summon the All-Seeing Light of Agamatto, to reveal to me the truth,_" he chanted, causing the stone to glow for a second before a blue cone of light shot out of it. When the cone struck Thor and Diana, a bright light surrounding them appeared, Thor's noticeably brighter. It was so bright in fact that everyone had to cover their eyes from the blinding light.

"All right, that's quite enough of that," Strange said, touching the Eye a second time, ending the spell.

"Well," Strange began, turning to Snow, Bigby and Blue, "He most definitely a god, no other type of being would give off an aura that powerful. It also seems that the woman has the blessings of a god or gods on her as well. Am I correct?" he asked looking at Diana, only to have Thor nod in affirmation.

"HA! Well done, Stephen Strange!" Thor said, smacking Dr. Strange on the back, causing him to stumble forward a bit, "I see why you are the Sorcerer Supreme of this realm. I should have known you would prove us truthful."

"Eh, Thank you, Thor," Dr. Strange replied, rubbing his shoulder, "But now I was wondering if you could answer some questions that are perplexing me?"

"Certainly, Stephen Strange, ask to your heart's content."

"For one, how do you know how to speak English?"

"Ah, that is simple Stephen Strange. As a god, I can understand any language which is spoken to me. How would a god be able to answer the prayers of his faithful if he was unable to understand them?" Thor answered, laughing heartily

"Alright, I was also wondering what probably what my compatriots here were thinking as well: what is a god and an Amazon princess doing in the middle of Metropolis?"

"Ah, that is a long and goodly tale, if you are willing to listen to it."

"I don't think any of us were planning on doing anything anytime soon, so tell away, big guy," said Blue.

At their request, Thor related the tale of how Odin had sensed the passing of a mighty people somewhere in the stars and took it as a sign that Asgard needed a representative on Midgard. He then told of how his father reincarnated him into a baby and gave him to Queen Hippolatya to raise in secret on Themyscara. Finally, he told of how Loki had discovered him on the island, and sent one of his unwilling servants to kill him, leading Thor to reawaken his god powers and defeat Loki's servant before leaving the island with Diana to find what had become of Loki's unwitting pawn.

"Then, about two days ago we came across Hugin here," Thor said, indicating to the raven on his shoulder.

"One of your father's ravens" elaborated Dr. Strange.

"Exactly, he found us and then led us here, which I now believe so that we could meet you, Stephen Strange," explained Thor.

"Why would he want you to meet me?"

"Well, my father must have seen I was having a difficult time finding the masked man, so he figured that who better to aid me than the Sorcerer Supreme of Midgard himself?"

"I suppose I could help you find this 'masked man' of yours. If he's really as powerful as you say, he shouldn't be that hard to find."

"Splendid!" cried Thor, "We can not thank you enough Stephen Strange,"

"Think nothing of it," Dr. Strange stated, before walking over to Bigby and whispering something into his ear, to which Bigby nodded in response and turned to leave, "Now, if you'll excuse me, the sheriff and I have business to discuss. Clea, if you could help Boy Blue with showing Thor and Diana around Fabletown, that would be wonderful, as I'm sure that Ms. White has a lot of work that she needs to do."

"Of course, Master," Clea said with a slight bow, "I'd be happy to."

"All right," said Boy Blue, "I guess you all should follow me then,"

As they walked through the aisles of bookcases, Boy Blue began pointing out different objects and saying what they did. After a little while, Clea turned to Diana and asked, "I am curious Diana, why are you dressed like that. Is that some sort of ceremonial armor or something along those lines?"

All Clea received was a blank stare.

"Is there something wrong, Diana?" asked Clea, hoping she hadn't offended the princess.

"The problem would be that she doesn't understand you Clea," explained Thor.

"But I thought you said that your god powers allowed you to learn any language?" asked Blue.

"Indeed they do, but sadly I can not pass on the benefit to other, so I must translate for her."

"Can you fix that, Clea?" Blue asked.

"I do not know the spell, but Master Strange does," Clea relented.

"Dang, well I guess you'll have to keep playing translator, big guy," Blue said.

"It would appear so, and to answer your question Clea, the armor Diana wears is enchanted by the Olympians and was once worn by her mother. It is a sign of her status as the champion of the Amazons," Thor explained, as they left the office and started walking down the hall to the stairs, "Now if you do not mind, I have some questions myself, such as what is this place?"

"This is Fabletown," answered Clea.

"And what is Fabletown?" Thor asked after translating for Diana.

"A glorified refugee camp," stated Boy Blue, pausing on the stairs.

"Refugee camp? From what, if I may ask?" Thor said, while translating.

"The Adversary," Boy Blue stated, a somber look on his face, while Clea lowered her head, "A powerful, evil warlord who led an army of enormous size and strength and conquered the Homelands; the different kingdoms in another realm from which we each hail…and which were added to the Adversary's Empire."

"I know of this Adversary," Thor said, his face solemn.

"You do?" asked Boy Blue, a surprised look on his face.

"Yes, I remember my father sending some of our bravest warriors to aid in defending a realm located near Asgard that was under siege from the Adversary's forces right before I was sent to Midgard. I know not of what became of them."

"Well, here's to hoping they were able to help someone," Blue stated.

"Indeed," Thor said, placing his hand on Blue's shoulder, "You have my sympathies, my friend."

"Thanks, big guy," Blue replied honestly, "But that's enough reminiscing for one day, thank you very much. How's about we get back to that tour I was taking you guys on?"

"I would like that very much," Thor stated before they continued on with their tour.

_The basement_

The area beneath the Woodlands was a literal maze of passages, connected by a central staircase that led downward into the darkness. The walls were constructed from old stone bricks and the walls dripped with water. Coming down the stairs were Bigby followed by Dr. Strange.

"So, how has the prisoner been Sheriff?" Strange asked.

"The same way he's been for over a decade, Doc. He refuses to talk to anyone unless pressed and then the only thing we can find out is that he's an all around jackass."

"I suppose I shouldn't have bothered asking," Strange said with a sigh, as they reached the bottom of the staircase. "Even if we can't get any info out of him, we should at least be grateful that we have one of the Lords of Chaos sealed away."

"Not with out considerable effort," said a voice from the shadows. As the two drew closer they made out an old woman sitting in a rocking chair, knitting. She had short, curly white hair and a pointed, wrinkled face which had a slightly sinister look to it. She sat by a simple, stone well descending into the floor, which she stared at intently.

"Good morning, Frau Totenkinder" Dr. Strange greeted her, "I see you're on guard duty today."

"Well someone has to be here to drain away a portion of his massive power." She replied, "The Witching Well is pushed to the limit as is. He's a Lord of Chaos for good reason."

"I see well may I speak to him?" Strange asked.

"That you may, dearie," she answered.

Walking up to the well, Strange looked down into its black depths. Waving his hand over the opening, he muttered an incantation and the darkness immediately began to shift. Suddenly, a spot of light appeared in the center of the opening, revealing a man with a long brown beard and brown hair, dressed in a tattered purple tunic and green pants chained to the ground. He looked up at Strange, hate filling his eyes.

"Hello, Mordru," Strange greeted emotionlessly.

"Strange," Mordru spat back.

Strange paused for a moment, "Unusually talkative today Mordru. Normally you don't even bother to return my greeting. What's changed?"

Mordru merely shrugged.

"Come now Mordru, we both known there's something you're not telling us. In fact there are a lot of things you're not telling us. So why don't we make today the day you talk to us. Let's not make it another decade," Strange stated diplomatically, "What do you know that we don't Mordru?"

A small smile crossed Mordru's lips, "What I know? More than you could possibly imagine, Strange. I know that despite all your raw power and boasting, you're still a pitiful wizard compared to me. I know that my fellow Lords of Chaos have been searching for me since my disappearance, more out of fear I'll rat them all out than anything. I know the hag and her posse up their have missed the small magic signal I sneaked past them weeks ago. I know that three days ago, it was discovered by a passing rat in service to a low-level vermin demon in the sewers who was positioned there, along with a host of other demons, to spy on you. I know that the Lords are now mounting a rescue attempt," As he spoke these words, Strange's eyes widened in fear as he felt a massive surge of dark magical energy surround Fabletown. Mordru's grin had now broken out into a full fledged smile, "And I know that you all are about to die."

_Meanwhile_

Thor and Diana were sitting with Blue and Clea at a table outside of a shop that Blue told them was called the "I am the Eggman Diner". Currently, Thor was happily eating something that Boy Blue called a "cheeseburger," and was savoring it thoroughly. Next to him, Diana was drinking a "ice tea" and enjoying it immensely. After taking another sip through the "straw", as Thor told her it was called, she turned to her compatriot and said something in her native tongue. Turning to the others, Thor translated.

"'iana shays 'at 'he has neva 'ad a drink like 'is on 'emyscara," Thor said with a full mouth, spewing small chucks of food as he talked, "And I mush shay 'at I 'ave neva eaten a meal 'ike 'is in all my 'ears in Asgar'"

"Say it, don't spray it, big guy," Blue replied, whipping a small bit of spit of his cheek.

"Spray what, my friend?" Thor asked after swallowing, utterly clueless.

"Never mind. As I was saying, the Fables who don't look human and can't afford a glamour spell have to stay up north in a place we call the Farm."

"I see, and that building from where we came from is called "the Woodlands" and the most important people in Fabletown stay there."

"That's right. I'm one of the lucky few who get to stay there along with my roommates Pinocchio and Flycatcher."

"I see, now there is still one thing that vexes me," Thor stated, before reaching into his glass of water and retrieving an ice cube, "Who is the craftsman who takes the time to carve these individual blocks of ice to cool our beverages?"

Clea and Blue just stared at Thor incredulously for a few moments before Blue smacked his palm to his face while Clea lowered her gaze and slowly shook her head.

Suddenly, Clea's eyes shot open and she shot to her feet while Thor mimicked the motion.

"Did you feel that as well, Lady Clea?" Thor asked.

"Feel what?" asked Blue. Diana turned to Thor with a bewildered expression, asking a question in her own language.

"Something is coming," Clea stated. As she did so, a large wind picked up as fiery symbols surrounded the outskirts of Fabletown. Suddenly, a red barrier of shifting energy sprang from where the symbols where, rising into the air and forming a dome over Fabletown. The winds continued to swirl as a large pentagram burned itself into the ground near the Woodlands. The pentagram began to glow brightly before a column of red and black flame exploded out from it.

"Lady Clea, I was led to believe that powerful enchantments surrounded Fabletown to protect it from outside incursion," Thor stated.

"There are. Whoever's doing this is an extremely powerful magic user, one of Dr. Strange's caliber. I think I might know who it is too," Clea explained.

"Who?" asked Blue,

"The Lords of Chaos," she replied simply,

"The same dark sect my brother Loki belongs to," Thor snarled, drawing his hammer from its place on his back.

"Master Strange must be warned," Clea stated.

"Something tells me he already knows," Blue replied.

"None the less, go and warn him," Thor ordered, "We shall do our best to hold them here."

Blue nodded and ran off towards the woodlands just as a figure rose out of the newly created portal. As they watched, a short pudgy man exited the pillar. He grinned wickedly as he watched the people around him panic and run for safety. He was followed by a roughly thirty humanoid looking figures, covered in black, rough skin with glowing green eyes. After them, five more individuals stepped out of the portal. One was a raven haired man, dressed in green armor. He had a thin moustache on his face and a large, double bladed axe strapped to his back. After him came a beautiful looking woman with long red hair and a revealing blue dress. There was also a man with a long green cloak and a green Chinese-style shirt and pants, a purpled haired woman in a green dress, and finally a blond haired woman in a green tunic and short shorts. Upon seeing the woman, Thor's eyes widened in surprise, before he sighed in exasperation.

"Is there a problem Thor?" Clea asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You have no idea," Thor replied. As he said this, the blonde woman took notice to him. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him. A large grin grew across her face as her eyes sparkled with excitement. Before anyone could do anything, the blonde woman zipped up to Thor and gave him a large hug.

"Thor!" she exclaimed.

"Hello, Enchantress," he replied, emotionlessly.

"It's been so long since I've seen you. Oh, I've missed you so!" she stated, leaning in for a kiss. They both were oblivious to Diana standing a few feet away, fist and jaw clenched in anger. Just before Amora kissed him, Thor placed his finger on her lips and gently pushed her away.

"The feeling is not shared," Thor replied. He was oblivious again as Diana pumped her arm in triumph.

"Oh Thor, why must you always be so cold to me?" Amora asked with a pout.

"You tried to kill Lady Sif," Thor answered curtly.

"That tart? Why do you care for her so much? You barely know her," Amora spat back.

"I grew up with her," Thor replied evenly.

"Still…" Amora said, turning her head. As she turned, she caught sight of Diana staring heatedly at her.

"Who is this wench and why does she stare at me so?" she asked while returning Diana's glare.

"That is Diana, princess of the Amazons and a close friend of mine. Trying to kill her will also not put you into my good graces," Thor answered.

At that Enchantress's glare narrowed even further, "Amazon, huh?" she asked no one in particular, recalling what Loki had told her earlier, "Loki has told me of you, Diana."

"Diana did you say?" inquired a solitary voice as two perfectly manicured hands rested on Enchantress' shoulders, before the woman in the green dress's face appeared next to Amora's. If Diana appeared angry before, she was utterly furious to see the new woman.

"Circe," she spat.

"Ah, I see your mother told you about me," she said in Diana's language, "Tell me, did she tell you about the time I turned five of your "sisters" into canneries…then fed them to a cat?"

At this, Diana screamed in rage and threw a punch at Circe's face. As Diana's fist connected though, Circe seemed to explode into a cloud of green smoke which reformed a few feet away. Circe laughed lightly as she reformed.

"Well, angry aren't we?" Circe said with an evil grin.

Before Diana could make another move towards Circe, Amora stepped right up to her and got directly in her face.

"Do you have a problem with my old teacher, Amazon?" she asked, threateningly.

"She can't understand you Enchantress," answered Clea, stepping to Diana's side.

"And who do we have here?" asked Amora.

"Looks like a woman from the Dark Realm, sister," said the red head, who now stood at Amora's side.

"Your right, Lorelei. How could I miss the sickly pale complexion of a Dark Realmer? But what would one be doing here?" Amora asked, talking about Clea as if she wasn't standing five feet away.

"Maybe she's training under Dr. Strange?" inquired Lorelei.

"Would that make her a Sorceress Supreme? She seems pathetically weak," Amora replied off-handedly. At that, Clea clenched her fists and her eyes began to glow.

"That's enough, Enchantress!" Thor shouted, taking a step towards them, but was stopped by the large man, his axe in hand.

"Going somewhere, Thunderer?" he asked.

"Stand aside Executioner," Thor said, getting in the Executioner's face.

"Now, now, gentlemen," said the man in the green cloak, "There's no need for us to fight. We merely came here to pick up a friend of ours."

"And what makes you think we'll let you walk in and take Mordru, Baron Mordo?" asked Clea fiercely.

"I see my reputation precedes me. As for your question, I believe that the small army of demons at my back will help with that nicely," Mordo replied.

"We're still not going to let you take him," Clea shot back.

"Well then, it looks like we will have to fight after all. Executioner." At that, the Executioner struck Thor with the side of his axe, sending him flying away and crashing through the wall of the restaurant they had been eating at.

"Thor!" Diana cried, whirling around…allowing the Enchantress to blindside her with a blast of magic energy, sending her flying her down the street. Before she could react, Clea was also knocked flat by a blast from Lorelei.

"Clown!" Mordo called, getting the demon's attention, "Take half of the hellspawn and come with me. Leave the rest to help the others," finishing his orders, he turned to Circe and bowed respectfully before addressing her, "Lady Circe, I would be honored if you would aid me in releasing Master Mordo."

"I'd love to, Baron," she said, offering Mordo her hand to Mordo, which he graciously accepted, before they made their way towards the Woodlands with Clown and his hellspawn in tow. As they left, Executioner made a move towards where he had hit Thor but was stopped when Amora laid a hand on his arm.

"Milady?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Why don't we let the rabble deal with them?" she said, indicating towards the fifteen hellspawn waiting eagerly near the now closed portal.

"Yes, Milady," he said with smile before turning to the hellspawn, and yelling "You there! Destroy those three!"

"Destroy the women!" Enchantress rebuked, giving Executioner a pointed look, "Leave the man alive."

"My apologies, Milady," Executioner apologized, though his eyes said he thought differently.

"No need to apologize, Executioner, it was an honest mistake. Besides, its not like a few hellspawn could kill the mighty Thor."

Thor moaned as he picked him up out of the rubble from the crash. As he shook his head clear, he saw the muscular, wild, black haired form of the restaurants owner, a Fable by the name of Vulco if Thor remembered correctly, standing over him.

"A thousand apologies for the damage I seem to have caused your feast hall, Sir Vulco," he said while rubbing his head.

"Don't worry about it, blondie. Just go kick his ass," Vulco replied with a smirk.

"I don't see how striking his donkey can help the situation," Thor replied, confused.

"It means go beat him," Vulco replied, exasperated.

"Oh, why did you not simply say that?" Thor asked rhetorically, as he left through the hole he left in the wall. As he exited out onto the street, he saw five of the hellspawn coming at him, each carrying different weapons. One broke out in front of the rest, raising a vicious looking bastard sword as it approached.

"Your guts for garters!" it screamed in a rough voice as it took a flying leap at Thor, only to be knocked bodily out of the air and through the hole Thor came through by Thor's hammer, landing with a resounding crash.

"Foolish fiend," Thor taunted, shouldering his hammer, "none can stand before the might of-AH!" Thor was cut off when one of the other hellspawn tackled him to the ground while he wasn't looking. It raised a crooked dagger to drive through his chest but was instead struck by a thunderbolt to the chest and sent screaming through the air to land a few yards away with a sickening thud.

Brushing the dust off of his shoulder, Thor stood up and gave a hard look towards the remaining three hellspawn. They looked at each other then back at Thor nervously, seeing how easily he dispatched their two compatriots.

"Come on," the one on the left said, "we can take him together,"

"Yeah," the one on the right said, "I mean there are three of us and one of him."

At that moment the one in the middle let out a scream of pain as Mjnoir struck him in the chest, sending him flying back a few yards before slamming into a brick wall, cracking it and slumping over on the sidewalk.

"You were saying?" asked Thor threateningly, as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Get him!" cried the one on the left as it readied its halberd while the other drew a mace and charge him. Thor skillfully dodged the blows and blocked some with his powerful arms. Eventually, the one with the halberd made a lunging strike at him. Thor dodge out of the way before grabbing the weapon's shaft and braking off the blade.

"Ha! I have disarmed you villain! I suggest you-" but he was cut off when the hellspawn jabbed him in the face, causing his head to snap back but nothing else. Lowering his head, Thor glared at the hellspawn before upper cutting it, sending it screaming into the sky and out of view. Slowly, Thor lowered his gaze to look at the remaining hellspawn, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Suddenly, a loud scream pierced the air as the hellspawn fell to earth. Right before it hit the ground, Thor grabbed the hellspawn out of the air by the leg and, whirling around, bashed the remaining hellspawn with it, sending it flying down the street. Thor tossed the hellspawn away and made his way down the street, holding his hand up as he did so, causing his hammer to fly back into his hand.

Diana brushed her shoulder off as she picked herself up off the ground. Looking down the street she saw five of the hellspawn running at her. Letting out a war cry, Diana charged them, flying low to the ground. Winding up, she struck one in the chest with a massive punch, sending him flying down the street. As one of the hellspawn attacked her with an axe, Diana crossed her arms and blocked the attack with her bracelets. The two met with a resounding clang…before the axe's blade shattered. As the hellspawn looked at its weapon in shock, Diana sent a kick at its head, sending it flying through the air and crashing through a wall on the second story of a nearby building.

Another hellspawn took a swing at Diana with a giant sword, but she ducked beneath it and jabbed the hellspawn in the stomach. As it reeled back, Diana pushed her advantage, striking it in the chest and face. She continued to strike the hellspawn, her movements becoming faster and faster until they were a blur of motion. Suddenly, Diana stopped and grabbed the hellspawn by the throat. Lifting it up, she choke slammed the hellspawn into the ground, cratering the pavement and sending chunks of asphalt flying into the air. As Diana stood up, a large cracking sound was heard as the street suddenly gave out from under her, collapsing into the sewers. Diana was able to float safely above the hole but the two remaining hellspawn weren't so lucky and fell screaming into the murky waters below. As the hellspawn tried to get up but the debris that was knocked into the air came crashing to the ground, crushing one while the other was able to escape. As it struggled to get up, Diana looked to her belt where her lasso hung. Diana reached for her lasso and swinging it around, she threw it…but missed it, catching some of the overhanging debris instead.

"Is that it?" the hellspawn taunted, "Is that all you got?"

Diana, not understanding what the hellspawn was saying, tried to get her lasso free from the rubble. Giving a mighty tug, she broke the rubble the lasso was wrapped around loose…causing the ceiling to collapse upon the hellspawn, burying it.

Clea grunted as she lifted herself off the ground, pushing her hair back as she did so. Noticing the five hellspawn charging her, she raised her hands, which began to glow with arcane power. With a shout, she slammed her hands, palm down against the ground, causing the street to seemingly ripple before a large wave of earth rose up and flowed down the street down the street and crashing down on them. The hellspawn were able to dodge the attack by leaping over the wave.

"_Levi Corpus!_" Clea cried, pointing her hand at one of the hellspawn, causing it to freeze in place midair. Pointing at some of the debris caused by the earth wave with her other hand, she cried "_Wingardium Leviousa!_" causing the rocks to rise into the air until they were even with the suspended hellspawn and surrounded it. Clea narrowed her eyes in concentration before she slammed her hands together, causing the rocks to slam together, crushing the hellspawn. As the others continued to charge her, Clea began to make a motion with her hands similar to one making a snowball. As she did, the chunks of rock shifted until they became one large boulder. Clea then opened her hands, causing the bolder to fall to the ground. She then began to make a reeling motion, causing the boulder to get closer and closer. Before they realized it, the boulder was right on top of the hellspawn. They leapt desperately out of the way, but one wasn't able to get out of the way in time and was crushed. As the hellspawn recovered, the boulder rolled up to Clea, slowling down as it approached before stopping next to her. The hellspawn picked themselves off the ground, still a ways away from Clea, and growled threateningly at her. In response, Clea merely flicked her wrist, causing spikes to spurt from the boulder.

The hellspawn stepped back in surprise as Clea waved her hand forward, causing the spiked ball to roll at the hellspawn. They attempted to leap out of the way, but again one was caught, skewered on one of the spikes as the ball continued to roll. The remaining two hellspawn took their opportunity to charge Clea again, but she merely snapped her fingers, causing the ball to stop in its tracks. With another snap of her fingers, the ball hopped into the air and began to spin rapidly, shooting its spikes off as it did so. The hellspawn watched in horror as all the spikes arced through the air towards them. The hellspawn ran screaming towards Clea, desperate to escape the attack, but were caught as the spikes fell to the ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust. As the dust cleared, one hellspawn stumbled among the forest of stone spikes now embedded in the street. It drew a crooked looking knife, approaching Clea with hate in its eyes. In response Clea merely raised her hand and pointing at the spikes said, "_Confingro,_"

At her call the spikes began to glow brightly…before exploding violently. The attack caused a large cloud of smoke to rise into the air, accompanied by a large blast of wind. When the smoke cleared, Clea was revealed, standing at the edge of a large chasm where the street had fallen into the sewer below and was now separating Clea, Diana and Thor from the Lords of Chaos.

"Well," said Enchantress, "I think this just got a lot more interesting."

_Meanwhile_

Mordo made his way through the Woodlands, flanked by Circe and Clown and leading a group of fifteen hellspawn. They made their way through the building, eventually coming to the door leading to the main administrative office. Trying the door, Mordo was surprised to find the door unlocked. Opening the door, they entered the room and began to make their way through the bookcases, eventually coming to the tree from which the Forsworn Knight hung…finding Dr. Strange, Bigby and Frau, who was sitting in her rocker, knitting, waiting for them.

"So, this is the new Sorcerer Supreme I've heard so much about, huh?" Mordo asked nobody in particular, "What was your name again? Professor Peculiar?"

"Dr. Strange," Strange corrected.

"Ah, my apologies Doctor. My name is-"

"Baron Mordo. I know." Strange cut him off.

"I am continually amazed by how well I am known in the world," Mordo lamented.

"It's hard not to know of the mad cultist who killed John Zatara, one of the greatest dark wizard hunters the world has ever known," Strange replied.

"People still talking about that? I guess I have Mad-Eye Moody to thank keeping the story alive, though I did kill his partner…and blow of his leg," Mordo said with a sadistic grin, before his expression turned thoughtful, "You know something? I ran into Zatara's daughter about a decade ago, and she didn't seem to know me, at least not as much as she should have. Do you know why?"

"I-I've heard that she was never told exactly who killed her father. She was told you were killed along with her father. Only a few people know the truth. Dumbledore thought the knowledge wouldn't help Zatanna any. He thought it was…" Strange trailed off.

"For the greater good," Mordo finished, his grin growing, "Undoubtedly he thought the knowledge would cause her to thirst for vengeance and possibly become as bad as me…or worse." Dr. Strange only snarled in response.

"I don't mean to be rude Baron, but we didn't come here to chat," Circe reminded him.

"Ah, yes, how foolish of me," Mordo apologies, "Please allow me to introduce my lovely accomplice, the goddess Circe, whose reputation undoubtedly proceeds even my own."

"Indeed it does," Frau replied, looking up from her knitting to give Circe an appraising look, to which Circe replied in kind.

"And this portly fellow," Mordo said, putting his hand on Clown's shoulder, "is known as Clown. Now that introductions are taken care of, I believe we should inform you of why we're here. You see, you have someone we've been looking for."

"Mordru," stated Bigby.

"Yes, very good. Now if you'd be willing to release him…" Mordo began.

"Not on your life," Bigby shot back.

"Hm, then we appear to be at an impasse don't we?" Mordo replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Turning he seemed to take, notice of the hellspawn behind him for the first time.

"Oh how foolish of me, I seem to have forgotten to introduce our fellows here," Mordo said in mock embarrassment, indicating to the gathered hellspawn, "But they're a rather forward bunch and would probably like to introduce themselves, wouldn't you boys?" The hellspawn nodded in response, hopping about eagerly.

"Alright then," Mordo said, indicating towards the gathered heroes, "introduce yourselves to the Doctor and his friends,"

At that the hellspawn charged the group. As they came, Strange looked over at Frau, who was still knitting away.

"Frau," he said urgently.

"I'm ready whenever you are, dearie," Frau responded, impassively.

Rising his hands, Dr. Strange began to recite a spell, which Frau recited in unison, "_I summon the Shield of the Seraphim, to protect me from my enemies!_" At their command, two dark blue fields of energy appeared adjacent to one another, between them and the hellspawn. One hellspawn attempted to strike it, but its attack bounced harmlessly of the shield.

"Essence Summoning. Impressive Doctor," Mordo commented.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Dr. Strange said, before making various hand signs with his outstretched arms and called _"I create the Sword of the Seraphim, to defend the defenseless!_" Immediately, the inner shield dissolved into blue energy before reforming as a large two handed sword which shot of bolts of blue electricity here and there. Reaching out, Bigby grabbed the sword from where it floated and charged at the hellspawn. Right before he ran into it, the other shield dropped, allowing Bigby to strike at the hellspawn standing on the other side, lopping of its head in a flash of energy. Whirling around, he slashed another across the midsection, slicing it in half. Spinning again, Bigby stabbed a third in the chest with the sword, before kicking it away, the sword still in its chest. As it flew away, the sword began to glow with power before it burst out of the hellspawn's back as a bolt of blue energy, striking another hellspawn who happened to be standing beneath it, vaporizing it. As the hellspawn were still reeling from his sudden attack, Bigby grabbed one of the hellspawn and threw it into the air.

As the hellspawn flew through the air, Dr. Strange suddenly appeared right next to it with a loud popping sound. Holding out his hand, Dr. Strange caused the hellspawn to be surrounded in a blue aura. With a flick of his wrist, the hellspawn flew across the room and slammed into the wall, before slumping to the ground as the aura faded. Still floating in the air, Strange held his hands out in front of him. Spectral arcane writing surrounded his hands as a red glow appeared on his palms. "_I summon the_ _Flames of the Faltine, to sear my enemies!"_ he shouted, as deep red flames shot out from his palms, engulfing two hellspawn. As the flames trailed off from his hands, he raised them above his head, a circle of arcane symbols appearing between them. "_I summon the Winds of Watoomb, assault my foes!"_ Suddenly the wind began to pick up, an orb of swirling air condensing between his outstretched hands as his cloak swished around him. Descending rapidly to the ground, he slammed his hands to the floor. The winds shot out in a circle around him, knocking the hellspawn back. Suddenly, the winds condensed around two of the hellspawn, forming swirling spheres of air around each of them. Raising his hands up, the spheres followed suit, floating off the ground. They came to a stop, floating in place for a moment before Dr. Strange clamped his hands into fists, causing the spheres to tighten around the hellspawn, the razor winds ripping them to shreds.

As Dr. Strange battled the hellspawn, a group of five snuck past him before charging Frau, who still sat in her rocking chair, knitting. As they approached, Frau merely smirked, before reaching out with her hand and knocking once on one of the knots of the tree from which the Foresworn Knight hung. Without warning, the tree sprang to life, lashing out with its long, gnarly branches, the suit of armor spinning wildly around on its noose. Before they could react, the heavy branches slammed down on two of the hellspawn, crushing them. The remaining three watched in horror as the tree straightened up, preparing to strike again.

"A Womping Willow," Frau explained with a wicked smile on her face, "Something I came up with a couple of centuries ago. The wizards of this world love them."

The hellspawn dodged out of the way as the tree struck again, before racing towards Frau, hoping to get past the tree. As one ran along, one of the trees limbs reached out and snagged its foot, before flinging it screaming through the air. Another limb wrapped around one of the hellspawn's throat, lifting it into the air before snapping its neck like a twig. The last hellspawn managed to make it past all the tree's limbs and within striking distance of Frau. It raised its vicious looking sword and prepared to chop the gray-haired woman's head off.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, dearie," Frau stated with a smirk, not even looking up from her knitting.

As the hellspawn took another step closer to Frau, a glowing arcane symbol suddenly appeared beneath its feet. Before it could react, a sudden blast of electricity shot out from the symbol, electrocuting it. When the electricity stopped, the hellspawn slumped to the floor, lifelessly.

Bigby and Dr. Strange surveyed the battlefield before turning to look at Mordo and his group in triumph…failing to notice one hellspawn that had escaped their wrath sneak of towards the basement stairs, followed by the one that the tree had thrown away.

"Impressive, Dr. Strange," Mordo said, clapping his hands, "I see I will have to get my hands dirty. Circe, I'll take Strange if you'll handle the old woman,"

"Gladly," Circe replied, giving Frau a challenging look.

"Clown, you handle the Fable," Mordo ordered.

"You got it, Baron," Clown replied, smiling sadistically.

"Alright then," Mordo said before snapping his hands out in front of him, causing flames to shoot out as the Mark of Scath appeared on his forehead.

"_I summon the Seven Rings of Rangador to defend us!_" Dr. Strange yelled, causing seven blue energy disks to appear, intercepting the attacks. Immediately, Circe and Clown sprang into action, rushing there targets. As Dr. Strange tried to intercept them with the rings, Mordo shot another blast of fire, requiring Strange to defend himself again.

Circe flew across the ground, bearing down on Frau, grinning wildly. As she approached, Frau reactivated the tree, which immediately lashed out at Circe. Changing her course, Circe flew expertly among the branches, dodging the branches that struck out at her. After a few moments of dodging, she stopped midair and struck out with a Cutting Curse, lopping of one of the tree's branches, causing the tree to rear back as if in pain

"Is that all you can do, hag?" Circe asked smugly, as the tree branch clattered to the ground.

"Far from it, girly," Frau replied, giving Circe a fierce glare before touching her hand to the tree's trunk and channeling power into it. Immediately, the tree reared back one of its branches before flinging it forward. Out of the tree flew the Foresworn Knight, its noose stilled tided around its neck, the rope elongated and glowing with arcane power. Lowering her hand, Frau reached into her bag of yarns. Lifting it out, she reviled silver strings wrapped around her fingers. Snapping her hands forward, the strings shot out, connecting to each of the Knight's limbs and its back. Curling her hand into a claw, she manipulated the Knights limbs like a puppeteer would control a marionette. Satisfied, Frau whispered an incantation under her breath. A bright flash of light appeared before the Knight, causing a sword with a long black blade covered in arcane markings to appear in front of it. Reaching out, the Knight grabbed the sword with both its hands and pointed it at Circe.

"Now I'll show you what I can do," Frau said with a smirk, before twitching her fingers, causing the Knight to charge at Circe in a jerky, puppet-like fashion. Circe dodged out of the way of the first few slashes, before summoning Rings of her own and deflecting the sword strikes which came at alarming speeds. Leaping back, Circe shot an energy blast at the Knight. The blast struck it in the chest, but instead of damaging it, the blast was absorbed into the suit, rippling through the torso, down the arms and into the Knight's sword. The runes on the sword began to glow brightly before the Knight swung its sword in a wide arc, sending an arc of energy shooting at Circe. Gathering her shields together, Circe attempted to deflect the arc but the shield shattered on impact sending her reeling back.

"Impressive, hag," Circe commented, brushing herself off, "but its ultimately pointless, for you duel with a goddess,"

"Yes, dear Circe, I know who you are," Frau said, finally setting down her knitting and giving Circe a cold gaze that set chills down her spine, "But you have no idea who I am."

"_Awaken, he disgraced by Morgan's plot. Awaken and fight for me, the once honored Sir Lancelot."_ Frau chanted in a dark rhyme. Suddenly, the armor began to shake violently, before the pieces burst apart, revealing a ghostly figure within. The figure looked like a man who had been dead for some time, with sunken cheeks and hollow eye sockets surrounded by decaying flesh. He wore a tattered robe that seemed to float on an invisible breeze. A noose hung loosely around his neck. Reaching its boney hands out, it grasped the runed sword. As it grasped the sword, the runes along the blade turned black, before the entire the blade was surrounded by a black aura. Pointing the blade at Circe, the ghost made a thrusting motion with the sword, causing a black beam to shoot out. Before Circe could put up another shield, the beam struck her in the chest, sending her flying backwards, crashing into a bookcase. As she tried to get up, black bolts of energy shot out from where she was hit and electrocuted her, knocking her out.

"Well done, Sir Lancelot," Frau commented, resuming her knitting as the armor reformed around the ghostly warrior and it returned to its place in the tree, "You may have regained some of your lost honor today,"

With a roar, Bigby met his stout opponent in a head on charge. As they slammed into each other, Bigby was surprised to find that the little man matched him in strength. As they grappled with each other, Clown smiled wickedly at Bigby, before spitting in his eye. Bigby let out a cry of disgust, giving Clown the opening to punch him in the gut. As Bigby reeled back, Clown tackled him to the ground before sitting on his chest and beating his face with his fat, little fists. With an angry shout Bigby threw Clown off of him. As Clown tried to get up, Bigby ran over and kicked him in the side of the head, sending him sprawling. Holding Clown down by the throat, Bigby began to repeatedly punch him in the face.

"That all you got, little man?" Bigby asked in between punches, "You're pathetic,"

"Sorry to disappoint," Clown replied, a sickening smile spreading across his face, "But you see, there's something you don't know about me. You seeI may not be the Vanquisher or the Vindicator, but I am the Violator!"

Suddenly, Clown threw Bigby off of him with surprising strength. As Bigby slowly picked himself off the ground, he witnessed a horrific sight. Clown began to transform before him, laughing manically as his body twisted about horrifically. Eventually the transformation ended, leaving Bigby looking at a creature that resembled nothing of the little man who had stood in its place. The creature stood an easy ten feet tall with putrid, oily purple dull pink flesh. In contrast to Clown's short, fat figure, the Violator was surprisingly bony and lanky. Its large hands and feet ended in deadly looking claws, four on each hand and foot. Its face was wide, framing an unnaturally large mouth containing rows of razor sharp teeth. Two horns grew out of the sides of its head and it stared at Bigby with pupil-less, black eyes. It sat in a hunched position, its long arms easily reaching the floor.

"Oh boy," was all Bigby managed to say before the Violator swept him aside with one of its large hands, roaring as it did so. Bigby managed to roll out of the way of the Violator's follow up attack, before darting between its legs. As it tried to find him, Bigby leaped onto the Violator's back. Crawling up to its head, Bigby began to repeatedly strike what he thought was the Violator's temple before it reached behind it and grabbed him before slamming him to the ground and holding him there.

"That all you got, little man?" the Violator asked with a sadistic grin.

"Hardly," Bigby said before his eyes suddenly turned yellow and his appearance began to become more feral. Taking a deep breath, he blew out a powerful blast of air that sent the Violator reeling. When it recovered, the Violator found that Bigby had disappeared. In his place was an impossibly large wolf, easily bigger than a horse. It had black fur on its back and white fur on its belly. It stared at the Violator with intelligent yellow eyes, Bigby's tattered clothes surrounding it.

"A werewolf?" asked the Violator.

"Yeah, only a whole lot bigger and badder," the Wolf growled, before leaping at the Violator, teeth bared. The Violator was able to catch the Wolf, but the force of the charge sent both of them flying back into the bookcases and out of sight.

Dr. Strange swatted away another of Mordo's fireballs before firing an energy blast of his own. Mordo waved his hand and a wall of shadow appeared and blocked the attack. With another wave of his hand, the shadow engulfed Mordo and disappeared with him into the floor. Dr. Strange looked around wildly for his adversary but was caught off guard when five pools of shadow appeared around him, seconds before tongues of flames shot out of them. Strange was just barely able to throw up an all around shield, blocking the red and black flames. As the flames continued to pound the shield, Strange concentrated touching his hand to the shield. At his touch the shield suddenly transformed into a globe of shining water. The water began to swirl around Strange before expanding outward, forcing the flames back into the shadow portals. Finally the portals dispersed, allowing Strange to lower his shield, causing the summoned water to fall to the ground.

"You continue to impress me Doctor," Mordo's voice said from seemingly everywhere, "Counteracting my hellfire with summoned holy water. I see you can think well under pressure. That's good."

"Where are you Mordo?" demanded Strange.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Mordo mocked. Suddenly, tendrils of shadow shot out from the ground surrounding Strange, forming a dome around him before shooting back down at him. "Why don't you come join me?"

"I think not," Dr Strange stated, touching the pendant around his neck, "_I summon the Light of the All Seeing Eye of Agamatto to reveal my enemy!" _At his command, the pendant began to glow before a blast of intense light shot out. The light burned away the shadows like they were nothing. As the shadows dissipated Mordo was revealed to be floating above Strange, shielding his eyes from the bright light.

"Now I have you," Strange stated, pointing his hands at Mordo, "_I summon the Crimson Bands of Cytorak to bind my foe!"_

At his command, several crimson colored rings shot out from Dr. Strange's outstretched hands. The bands surrounded the still stunned Mordo, before constricting around him, immobilizing him. Strange walked calmly over to Mordo, who was dragged to the ground by the bands.

"Looks like you'll get to see Mordru after all," Strange said, putting his face right up next to Mordo's, "because I'm going to stick you and your friends down the same hole I stuck him in."

"That's all well and good Strange, but I have every intention of getting my old teacher out of that rat hole," he said, a smile growing across his face, "Toodles,"

At that, there was aloud popping sound and a cloud of smoke exploded out from him. When the smoke cleared, in Mordo's place was a hellspawn, which began to squirm and shout, trying to get out of the bands. Strange took a step back in shock and looked around wildly for Mordo. As he did, he saw Circe disappear in a cloud of smoke and be replaced by a hellspawn as well. A look of realization struck Strange, his eyes widening in fear.

"Frau! It's a replacement spell!" he shouted, using his magic to fling the hellspawn in the bands at the other, knocking them both out, "We have to get to the Well!"

Frau got up and grabbed her knitting while Strange raced towards the stairs. As he was about to reach them though he was suddenly struck by a large object, sending him sprawling. As he got back to his feet, he saw that he had been struck with the Bigby, still in wolf form, who was struggling to get to his feet, his body covered in cuts and bruises. \

As Strange rushed over to his friend, the Violator came out from the rows of bookcases, lifting one above its head to throw.

"Sorry Doc, but I can't you go messing with the Baron's business." Violator cackled before heaving the bookcase at him, "Catch!"

_The basement_

Deep beneath the Woodlands, right next to the Witching Well, Mordo and Circe appeared out of clouds of smoke. Circe stumbled as she came out of the smoke, using the edge of the well for balance.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Baron asked concerned, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine," Circe spat, brushing his hand away, "there's just a certain hag I have to take care of after we're done here."

"Do remember what must be done?" Mordo asked, stepping up to the Witching Well.

"Yes, I remember," she snapped, taking, "just try to keep up, mortal."

Standing on opposites sides of the Well, they raised their hands above their heads simultaneously. Magic energy began to surround their hands before leaking down to the floor. The energy surged into groves surrounding the Well, spreading through three carved circles around the Well. Soon the circles were glowing while the energy flowed up through the groves in the stones making up the Well. Mordo and Circe continued pouring power into the Well, both showing signs of stress and fatigue. As the Well began to glow with power, bolts of energy began to shoot off from the top of the well over its center. The energy collected into a single large ball, pulsing with a large amount of power. Circe and Mordo pointed their hands at the orb, concentrating massive amounts of magic power into it. Mordo fell to his knees as the orb continued to grow, shooting off powerful bolts of excess energy in every direction, leaving scorch marks were they hit. The air in the chamber began to swirl around wildly, forcing them to squint their eyes to keep out the flying dust and debris. Suddenly, the orb shot out a single powerful bolt down the center of the Well. The bolt flew down the hole for a few seconds before it suddenly went taunt. Both Circe and Mordo roar with effort as the bolt began to reel in. Eventually, a human figure sheathed in magic energy appeared from over the edge of the Well. With a last shout of effort, Circe and Mordo pulled the figure out of the Well and onto its edge. As soon as its feet touched the edge of the Well, the energy dissipated while the orb of energy disappeared, revealing Mordru standing on the edge of the Well.

As soon as the spell ended, Mordo fell to the ground, hyperventilating and on the verge of unconsciousness. Circe fell to her knees, not as fatigued as Mordo but obviously exhausted. Mordru stumbled off of the well, falling to his knees. He rested his head on the cool stone before a smile crossed his face. Slowly he began to snicker to himself, before it grew into a chuckle, followed by a laugh, until it became a full blown roar of happiness.

"I AM FREEEE!!" He bellowed, his voice reverberating off the walls as sparks of magic power shot from his fingertips.

_To be continued…_

A/N: Dun, Dun, DUN. A cliffhanger! God, this took a long time to write. Finals didn't help any either. Originally, this was supposed to be one chapter, but it was growing so large (the climatic battle is going to be pretty big) and it had been so long since I updated, I decided to throw in the cliffhanger and post it.

So, I know what you're all thinking. "Didn't you just do Thor?" Well, yes I did, but the way he left was pretty open ended, and I felt I had to address where he and Diana went after chapter 7.

On another note, as you can plainly see, I've decided to incorporate the series _Fables_ into my story. Its one of my favorite comic series and I hope you all enjoy the incorporation.

Also, we finally get to see the infamous Lords of Chaos. I hope you like the roster as well as the interaction between the characters. Before anyone asks, Lucifer is based off the character from the DC comic of the same name. Satan is based off the same character from the movie _Constantine_. Lilith is a villain from Marvel comics. Hades is based off how he appears in the DC comics, unlike in the _Justice League_ cartoon were I honestly think he resembles Ares more (even though Ares appears in the series). Ares is based off his DC counterpart. Pluto and Hela are based off their Marvel counterparts. I don't believe Loki, Amora, Trigon or Circe need explanations. The doorman, Minos is an original design based off the character mention in Dante's _Inferno_. As for the finall member of the Lords…well wouldn't you like to know? I hope you all liked the relationships I created between the characters, as I had fun doing it.

I also tried to make Mordo more of a bigger villain then the lackey he basically was in chapter 4.

Bonus points to those who can figure out all the references on the road to Hell, what Hades was talking about with the "mongrels" on earth and who the remaining Lord of Chaos is.

Until next time, Later True Believers!


	10. A Roar of Thunder: Part 2

Chapter 10: A Roar of Thunder Part 2

**Chapter 10: A Roar of Thunder Part 2**

_From meetings and partings none can ever escape. Nor from magic_

-Neil Gaiman

Dr. Strange's eyes widened in horror as he observed the room he stood in. The air seemed to seethe around him and the ground shook beneath his feet. Bolts of magical power shot from the very stone itself, causing damage and chaos wherever they struck.

"Doc!" shouted Bigby, still in wolf form, over the mayhem around him, "What's going on!?"

"It's Mordru!" Strange shouted back, "Mordo and Circe must have released him!"

"But I thought Frau and the other witches have been draining him. How can he still have so much power?" Bigby asked.

"There's only so much of his power we can drain from him," Frau explained "The Well held portion as well, but not all. It was able to contain enough so that the enchantments around the Woodlands could contain what remained, but even then just barely."

"And he would have absorbed the power that went into freeing him, meaning he's practically at full power, though Mordo's probably out cold. Circe's still a threat though" Dr. Strange added, "We have to get to the basement and stop him before he gets out of the building!"

"Sorry Doc," said the Violator as it lumbered up, "you ain't going anywhere,"

"We'll see about that," spoke a voice from above them. Looking up, they saw Boy Blue standing on the top of one of the bookcases, wielding a large, two-handed sword. With a shout, he leaped off the bookcase and onto the Violator's back, plunging the blade into its flesh. The Violator roared in pain as it thrashed around, trying to shake Blue off. Reaching back, the Violator attempted to grab Blue, exposing its neck in the process. With a roar, Bigby leaped at Violator, sinking his teeth into the Violator's throat. With a screech of pain, the Violator gripped Bigby's head and attempted to throw him off. With a sickening ripping sound, the Violator threw Bigby away, taking a large portion of its flesh with him. Black blood spilled out from the Violator's throat, pooling at its feet. As the Violator held its throat to stem the bleeding, Blue pulled the sword out and stabbed the Violator again, causing it to rear back in pain for a second time. As the blood continued to flow out of the Violator's neck, Frau raised her hand and pointed at the black pool at the Violator's feet. "_Incendio!_" she cried as a bolt of fire shot from his hands, striking the pool of blood and setting it alight. The Violator's feet quickly lit on fire and it began to dance around painfully, attempting to put them out. As the fire continued to grow in intensity, Blue pulled the sword out of the Violator's back and jumped off, rolling to the floor. As the Violator thrashed about, engulfed in flames, Dr. Strange looked to his side and saw the pool of holy water he had summoned earlier. Pointing his hands at the water, he began to make swaying motions, causing the water to levitate. Whirling around, he whipped his hands at the Violator, causing it to be dosed in the holy water. The fire was immediately put out, but the Violator continued to smoke, its skin bubbling as if struck by acid. The Violator fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"The head, boy!" Frau screamed at Blue, "Cut off its head!"

Blue's eyes widened in realization, before he lifted up his sword and charged the Violator. With a single mighty swing, he brought the sword down on the Violator's head, lopping it off. The body began to convulse violently as it seemed to melt into a puddle of caustic liquid. The head seemed to melt also, but as it did, it transformed back into the form of Clown's head. The head grinned sickeningly at the group as it slowly dissolved.

"Lucky shot, punk," the head spat, "Lucky shot! This isn't the last time you've seen of me! I'll be back, ya hear me!? And when I do I'll rip you all to pieces! And you blondie, I'll kill nice and slowly, ya hear!? NICE AND SLOOOOOWLY!!" As he finished, the head fully dissolved before the pool of liquid flowed into the cracks in the floor and disappeared.

"Well that was pleasant," commented Blue, leaning on the sword, "how did you know that cutting of his head would work?"

"The same way I knew that his blood was flammable, boy," Frau replied, "I've studied many subjects over the years, one of them was demonology."

"Oh, well good thing I showed up with the Vorpral Sword when I did, or you'd guys be sunk," Blue said with a smile.

"Why are you here?" asked Bigby.

"Thor told me to come warn you about the Lords of Chaos, there's a whole other group of them out on the street."

"Yes but we have a bigger problem on our hands," Dr. Strange began, turning to the stairs…only to find Mordru standing at the edge of the stairs, an unconscious Mordo slumped over his shoulder and Circe standing next to him.

"That you do, Strange," Mordru said with a vicious grin, "mainly me,"

At that, Mordru snapped his fingers and the world went white.

_A few minutes earlier_

Raising her hands above her head, Enchantress caused a wave of sewer water to rise out of the hole in the street. Bringing her hands down, she sent the water surging at the three heroes. Quickly, Clea threw her hands up as a blast of icy blue energy shot out of her hands. When it struck the oncoming wave, it immediately turned into solid ice. Acting quickly, Loreli ran up the now frozen wave, sliding to a halt at its crest. Slamming her hands down on the ice formation, she sent magic flowing through the ice, causing razor sharp icicles to sprout from the bottom of the crest. Seconds later, the icicles shot off, streaking towards Clea. Diana immediately leaped into action, flying in front Clea. Acting on pure instinct, she held up her arms and began to bat away the icicles, bouncing them off of her bracelets. Both Clea and Loreli looked at amazement at Diana, who merely shot a fierce glare at Loreli. The moment was interrupted as the Executioner ran up the ice wave and leaped off with a savage war cry, his axe raised high. Before she could react, Thor flew past Diana and intercepted the Executioner's attack, hammer and axe meeting in a clash of sparks. Thor quickly took advantage, pulling his hammer back, allowing Executioner to roll forward. Shifting himself below the Executioner's torso, Thor grabbed the larger man and threw him down the street, leaving a crater in the pavement. As the Executioner struggled to get up, Thor pressed his advantage, flying at Executioner with his hammer raised to strike. Seeing him coming, Executioner quickly grabbed his axe and swung at Thor with the side of the axe, swatting him out if the air and through the wall of a nearby building.

Thor grunted as he got up, pulling himself through the hole he had made before brushing himself off. As he stepped back on to the street, he saw the Executioner waiting for him, axe at the ready. With a roar they both charged each other, weapons raised to strike. As their weapons met, sparks flew and the ground itself shook. They traded blows for a few seconds, each parrying his opponent's weapon with his own. Swinging low, the Executioner attempted to knock Thor's legs out from under him, but the blonde god saw this coming. Hopping above his enemy's weapon, he twisted his body midair, bringing his hammer hard across the Executioner's face, sending him sprawling. As the Executioner got to his feet, Thor pointed his hammer at him and sent a bolt of lighting screaming at his chest. Executioner quickly raised his axe, using the magic of the axe head to protect himself. As the bolt struck the axe head, it immediately stopped as if striking a brick wall. Thor narrowed his eyes in concentration, pouring more power into the lightning bolt.

As the lightning increased in intensity, Executioner dug his feet into the pavement. With a shout of exertion, Executioner angled his axe to the side, causing the bolt to shoot of to the side, striking a nearby building with impressive force. The sudden loss of resistance caused Thor to stumble, caught off guard. Seizing the advantage, Executioner raised his axe above his head before bringing it down with immense force onto the street. The strike sent a fissure rushing towards Thor, kicking up pavement as it went. As it was about to reach him, Thor leaped over the fissure, which caused an impressive blast of condensed air and asphalt where he had been standing. Thor raised his hammer above his head before attempting to strike the Executioner. Executioner managed to roll out of the way at the last second, causing Thor to smash the area where he had been previously standing, leaving an impressive crater.

Thor rose quickly to his feet, facing the Executioner with his weapon at the ready, the Executioner doing the same towards him. They were both distracted however, when a large cracking sound came from beneath them. Looking at the ground they saw a quickly growing spider web of cracks form in the street originating from where they each had struck the ground. They looked at each other with confused expressions before the ground broke apart beneath them and sent them falling into sewers below. As they both struggled to get their feet, Executioner sneered at Thor.

"Is that the best you can do, Thunderer?" Executioner mocked, "You've grown weak since you've come to Midgard."

"Say what you will Executioner," Thor replied as he rose back to his feet, "But know that I now have the advantage."

"What are you blathering about?" Executioner asked, skeptically.

"I am no Loki, but even I know that battles can not be completely won by might alone; one must also use his mind and mine tells me that I have two advantages," Thor explained, before slowly rising into the air. "One is that I can fly while you cannot. The other is the knowledge that lightning does not travel through the air alone."

At that Thor pointed his hammer down and shot a large bolt of lightning into the sewer water below…the same water that the Executioner was currently standing knee deep in. Before he could react, the electricity surged through the water and struck his heavily armored body. Executioner began to convulse as the electricity surged through his body, his mouth opened in a silent scream. Then just as suddenly as it began, the electricity stopped, leaving Executioner standing in the water, utterly dazed, his armor smoking. Thor flew up to look the Executioner in the face, examining him closely before poking him in the chest with two fingers, sending him toppling into the water with a resounding splash. Thor laughed heartily before he flew out of the hole to rejoin his friends.

As soon as the Thor had thrown away the Executioner, Diana flew at the ice ramp. Winding up, she struck the ice with a powerful fist, shattering the ice formation into thousands of pieces. Loreli was thrown bodily into the air by the force of the attack, but managed to recover midair, landing gracefully on the street, facing Clea.

Lifting her hands into the air, Loreli caused the shards of air to stop midair. Bringing her hands down, she pointed them at Clea, causing the ice shards to go flying at Clea. Clea pointed her hands at the oncoming projectiles and cast her own spell.

"_I summon the Flames of the Faltine, to sear my enemies!" _she cried causing a blast of powerful flames shot out of her hands, enveloping the ice shards and destroying them. As the flames sped at her, Loreli crossed her hands in front of her, causing a shield of magic energy to appear in front of her, blocking the fire, though with noticeable strain on her part. Snapping her hands forward, she shot a blast of magic energy at Clea, who blocked it with a Shield Charm of her own.

"_Everte Stratum!_" Clea cried, holding her hand up, causing a narrow blast of clear energy to shot out of her hand and strike Loreli in the chest, sending her flying into the air. Loreli twisted herself in the air, before holding her hands out to the sides, causing her to descend at a much slower rate.

"_Diffindo_!" she cried, making a slashing motion with her hands, causing a wave of magic energy to shoot out at Clea. Clea managed to dodge out of the way, the energy leaving a large gash in the street. As Loreli landed on the ground, she slammed her hands to the ground, forcing magic into the street below her, causing a large spike of earth to shoot out. Immediately the spike turned into an opened hand, which reached out to grab Clea. As the hand approached Clea, she held her hand up and cast a spell of her own.

"_Defodio!_" she cried, causing a corkscrewing bolt of energy to shoot out of her hand, digging into the stone hand and destroying it. The cloud of dust produced by the hand's destruction obscured Clea from sight. Suddenly, a flaming bolt of energy shot out of the cloud, parting it, while a cry of "_Expulso!_" was heard. Loreli quickly threw up a Shield Charm to block the attack, but didn't expect that the bolt would explode upon contact with the shield. The blast sent her flying through the air into a wall, which she slumped against with a groan. As she tried to get up, Clea faced her while holding her hands above her head. "_Descendo!_" she cried, bringing her hands down, causing the wall to tumble down on top of the recovering Loreli. Clea examined the rubble carefully, before turning away, satisfied…failing to notice the bricks begin to shift.

After she destroyed the ice ramp, Diana flew at the Enchantress, roaring as she threw a punch at the blond. Enchantress smiled as the punch passed through her as she transformed into a cloud of green smoke.

"What's the matter?" Enchantress asked in Diana's language, "You didn't think Circe was the only one who could do that trick, did you?"

"No," Diana snarled, "I guess I just thought you wouldn't be as cowardly as your teacher."

"Sorry, but I didn't think a woman's place was in battle. I guess no one ever told the Amazons how real women are supposed to behave."

Diana roared in anger as she threw another punch at Enchantress, only to have the attack pass through her as well.

"Temper, temper, Princess," Enchantress said in a disapproving tone, "Didn't I tell you that wouldn't work?"

As Enchantress talked, Diana reached for her lasso. Swinging it around, she eyed Enchantress dangerously.

"Dodge this," she said, tossing the lasso at her. Enchantress watched it come with a smirk on her face, but her smirk was quickly replaced by a look of shock as the lasso firmly grasped her, glowing with power. Enchantress struggled against the bond, trying to transform into smoke again but only managed to flux her form slightly. Diana smirked at her before yanking hard on the lasso, pulling Enchantress towards her. Winding up, she punched Enchantress hard in the stomach, sending her flying into the air. As the lasso grew taunt, Diana pulled down and slammed Enchantress into the ground, before releasing her and pulling the lasso to herself.

Enchantress slowly pushed herself to her feet, wiping her mouth. Looking at her hand, she saw that she was bleeding. Clenching her hand into a fist, she stared hatefully at Diana.

"YOU BITCH!!" she roared as magic energy crackled around her, "I'LL KILL YOU!!"

Jumping forward, she shot a blast of magic energy at Diana, who stood calmly as she raised and crossed her arms in front of her. She let the blast hit her before pulling her arms to her sides, causing the blast to disperse around her. Cocking an eyebrow, she smirked at Enchantress, enraging her further. Enchantress began to throw a flurry of spells at Diana, ranging from fireballs to blades of magic energy. Diana began to gracefully move among the magical attacks, blocking some with her bracelets and dodging others. As Enchantress blasted the ground in front of her, Diana leaped into the air. Corkscrewing through the air, Diana continued to dodge Enchantress' attacks, before landing behind her. Before Enchantress could react, Diana backhanded her across the face, causing her to spin around. When Enchantress had her back to her, Diana wrapped her arms around Enchantress' waist, before hefting her into the air and performing a suplex on her. Enchantress tried to get up, but immediately fell down again with a loud moan.

"Who's the real woman now, witch?" Diana asked in her native tongue before flying off to find the others.

As Clea looked down through the hole in the street at the sewers below, Thor and Diana flew over to her.

"Well met my friends," Thor bellowed, shouldering his hammer, "We are victorious!"

Just as Thor spoke the ground began to shake under their feet as the windows in the Woodlands began to glow brightly.

"I think you may have spoke to soon Thor," Clea stated before the light engulfed them and their world went white.

Thor blinked as the spots cleared from his eyes, before they widened with shock at how the world had changed around him. Instead of being in the middle of a bustling modern city, he was now standing in a large, unending void. Storm clouds covered the sky above him, crackling with energy hidden within their puffy masses. The ground was an endless mass of shadow with strands of red purple and blue color swirling within. Thor tested the ground with his feet, finding it as sturdy and supportive as regular earth. Looking around him, he saw that he was not alone. Diana, Clea, Boy Blue, Dr. Strange, Sheriff Wolf and an elderly woman Thor did not know were gathered around him.

"Steven Strange, where are we?" he asked as Dr. Strange slowly rose to his feet.

"Very simple, Thunderer," came a voice to Thor's left. Looking he saw a man he could only assume was Mordru, standing with the other members of his rescue party except for the short clown-like man.

"We are in a vortex of magical energy that I discovered eons ago. It is connected to a portal that is activated by magical seals written on the linings of my gloves," he explained.

"Then why didn't you escape if you had the means the entire time," Dr. Strange asked.

"Well the spell does require a significant amount of power to fuel it and with all your precautions draining and sealing my power away I wasn't able to use it," he elaborated.

"So why bring us here now?" asked Clea.

"Simple, because this entire realm bends to my will and so now, we play by my rules," he said, before gesturing towards Strange, causing a lightning bolt to shoot out of the sky and strike him in the chest, sending him flying through the air.

Strange managed to steady himself midair, but Mordru suddenly appeared directly in front of him and struck him in the chest with a magic bolt, sending Strange plummeting to the ground. Strange hit the ground hard and laid there with a groan, before Mordru appeared above him, placing his foot on Strange's chest in victory.

"You caught me off guard the last time, boy. It won't happen again," Mordru taunted as he formed another ball of energy in his hand, preparing to strike Strange down. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flew at Mordru's back…only to be intercepted by a shield of magic energy, protecting Mordru.

"What did I just say?" Mordru asked, turning around to see Thor pointing his still smoking hammer at him.

"We will not allow you to harm Stephen Strange," Thor stated as the others gathered around him preparing to fight Mordru.

"Fine" Mordru replied, shrugging his shoulders, "You can all die too for all I care."

At that, he shot a large beam of magic energy at the group, causing them to scatter.

"Mordru!" shouted Enchantress as she and the others approached him, while the heroes were recuperating, "We have to go! We came here to rescue your sorry ass and we did that, so let's get out of here"

"Get this through your head blondie, I'm not leaving till Strange and all his little friends are dead! So you can either speed up the process by helping or get the hell out of my way. You can even leave Thor alive if you really want, it doesn't matter to me," Mordru sneered, "So ladies, it's your call. What's it going to be?"

Enchantress and Circe looked at each other for a moment, before Circe sighed exasperatedly .

"Fine we'll take care of Thor and his friends, you just kill Strange," Enchantress said.

"No problem, I got him right where I want him," Mordru said, turning around…and finding Strange standing right behind him, a look of rage plastered across his face.

"Ah, shi-" was all Mordru was able to get out before Strange blasted him with a powerful bolt of magic energy, sending him rocketing into the sky, before Strange chased after him. Circe and Amora gazed for a few seconds in the direction the two had gone in.

"I'll go wake up Mordo," Circe said, before turning and walking away while Enchantress did the same. Circe stood over the prone form of Mordo before raising her hands and drawing on the power from the storm around her. As she gathered the power it began to shoot out of her outstretched fingers and into Mordo's body, charging him up like a battery. After a few seconds, Circe cut off the power to Mordo as he began to stir.

"Rise and shine, Baron," Circe said as she helped the wobbly Mordo to his feet, before turning and approaching the group of heroes.

"It appears we should prepare for battle, my friends," Thor commented as the Lords of Chaos approached them.

"I call the guy with the axe," Boy Blue spoke up, causing the others look at him the questioning looks, "What?" he asked.

"Very well, I shall battle the Baron Mordo," Thor stated.

"I'll fight Circe, I believe she has a bone to pick with me," Frau said.

"and I'll take Loreli," stated Clea.

"Guess that leaves the blonde for me and the princess here," finished Bigby, while Diana stared daggers at Enchantress.

"Alright! Let's go!" Blue shouted, before charging the Executioner with sword raised. With a roar, he leapt into the air and prepared to strike him, only to be blasted out of the air by Circe.

"Ow," Blue groaned as he rose to his feet, "I wasn't trying to fight you,"

"Fine boy," spat the Executioner as he stomped up to Blue, "if it's a fight you wish, a fight you shall receive," he stated before raising his axe and brining it down on Blue. Blue quickly dodged out of the way, before rolling to his feet and pointing his sword at the Exeutioner.

"Let's go," he said before lunging at Executioner and thrusting his sword at him. Executioner deflected it with his axe handle before shoving him back with his shoulder. Blue stumbled back, before dodging out of the way as Executioner took another swing at him. Blue quickly swung at Executioner's arm, just grazing the armor.

"Weak little man!" Executioner bellowed, "You're puny sword can't hurt me!"

As soon as he finished, a cut appeared on the arm of the Executioner's armor, causing it to hang limply to the side. Executioner looked at his arm in shock before looking at Blue, who looked back at him smugly while he twirled his sword expertly.

Roaring, Executioner charged Blue, bringing his axe down on the smaller man's head. Rolling forward, Blue swung up, cutting through the Executioner's armor, and leaving a swallow cut on his chest. Executioner swung at Blue horizontally, but with amazing agility, Blue leaped up and landed on the head of the Executioner's axe. Before Executioner could react, Blue had sprung off the axe's head and smashed his feet into the Executioner's face, before using it as a springboard to leap into the air.

Raising his sword above his head, he prepared to strike the Executioner. Executioner raised his axe to block but as the blade made contact with the handle; it cut right through the handle and slashed him across the chest, spraying up blood from the thin but deep cut. Howling in pain, Executioner grabbed Blue and flung him away. Rising to his feet, Executioner looked at his broken axe, before looking at Blue with pure hate. Letting loose a primal roar, he charge Blue, raising the broken axe above his head. As he struck, Blue dodged again, but Executioner struck the ground with incredible force, causing a large quake that knocked Blue off balance while at the same time causing the ground to crack like a pane of glass.

As Blue stumbled back, Executioner charged him again, striking at him with more hacking attacks, forcing Blue on the defensive, as each attack shook the ground, continually keeping off balance. After a few moments of hacking at him, Executioner swung at Blue with a horizontal attack. Blue was able to deflect the attack with his sword, before he quickly slashed at Executioner's hand. Executioner roared in pain as he dropped the axe, grading his injured hand. Pushing his advantage, Blue swung at Executioner again but to Blue's shock the Executioner grabbed the blade with his bare hand. Blood streamed down the Vorpral Blade as it cut into the Executioner's hand, but he didn't even seem to notice. He stared hatefully into Blue's fear filled eyes before he raised his hand and backhanded Blue hard across the face, sending him tumbling away, the Vorpral Sword still in the Executioner's hand.

Executioner looked at the offending sword for a moment before tossing it away carelessly and stalking after Blue, a crazed look still in his eye. Blue struggled to get up as the Executioner stomped over to him. Suddenly, he felt himself being hauled to his feet as the Executioner grabbed the back of his jacket.

"On your feet, boy!" he bellowed, before shoving Blue after he stood him up. Blue stumbled back before Executioner suddenly rushed him, punching him hard in the stomach. The force of the blow sent Blue into the air, but he was stopped when Executioner grabbed his shoulders and slammed him back down, smashing Blue's face into his knee. As Blue kneeled on the ground holding his nose, Executioner grabbed him by the back of the neck and raised him up, before socking him in the face with his big meaty fist. Blue flew through the air, spinning about like a rag doll before he landed hard on the ground. As he struggled to get up, Executioner walked up to him and booted him in the side of the head, sending him crashing back down. Blue struggled to regain his senses, the world swimming around him from so many blows to the head. Suddenly he felt the Executioner's large hands wrap around his neck, as he was lifted into the air.

"I don't need my axe to kill you, whelp!" he roared as he tightened his grip on Blue's neck, "I'll crush the life out of you with my bare hands!"

Blue struggled against the Executioner's grip, clawing at his hands and kicking his feet wildly. He gagged and coughed as his body began to run out of oxygen, His kicking and clawing began to lessen as he felt the strength leave his body. Soon enough his struggling ceased and his arms hung limply to his side. His head tilted to the side as his vision began to blur before everything went completely black.

Bigby snarled viciously as he leaped at Enchantress, teeth bared. Enchantress called up a shield and Bigby smashed into it hard, halting his movement before slumping to the ground, dazed. Enchantress raised her hand to strike Bigby with a mystic bolt, but stopped when she heard Diana's battle cry. Turning, she was able to create a small shield around her hand in time to deflect the punch Diana sent at her face. Enchantress formed another shield around her other hand and used them both to deflect the flurry of punches Diana threw at her. Diana tried to sweep Enchantress legs out from her, but the blonde leaped up before smashing one of her shields into Diana's face, causing the Amazon to stumble back. Enchantress then began to barrage Diana with her own magically inhanced punches, using her Asgardian strength and speed to her advantage. As she threw another punch, Diana caught it before flipping Enchantress over her shoulder and hurling her into the air.

Enchantress twirled through the air until she faced towards Diana. She slammed her hands together, turning her shields into an orb of energy. Pointing the orb at Diana, the orb began to rain thousands of energy bolts on her. As the bolts approached her, Diana held up her hands and set her feet. As the bolts reached her, Diana reacted with blinding speed, batting each and every bolt away, leaving her surrounded be a ring of scorch marks and smoke. As Enchantress looked on in shock, she heard the sound of a rushing air.

Looking away, Enchantress saw a recovered Bigby taking a large intake of breath. Before she could react, Bigby blew out the air, shooting a large funnel of swirling air at her. Enchantress was just able to shield her face with her arms as the blast of air struck her, sending her flying even further away as the razor winds sliced her body. As Enchantress tumbled through the air, Diana shot off into the air after her, flying faster than even she thought possible. Enchantress saw Diana rocketing at her and pointed her hands at her, shooting a large blast of electricity. Diana was moving to fast to dodge in time and was struck by the blast, causing her to fall out the sky, convulsing in pain.

Diana plummeted out of the storming sky at breakneck speeds, but right before she hit the ground, she was snatched out of the sky by Bigby's, who placed her gently on the ground with her jaws. Diana grunted in pain as she slowly regained her senses.

"Come on, Princess, up and at 'em" Bigby said as he nudged Diana with his nose, "She'll be easier to take down if we fight her together,"

Diana rose to her feet gingerly, using Bigby for balance. As she did, Bigby saw Enchantress land on the ground and begin to cast another spell.

"Hop on Princess, we've got to go." Bigby said as he swept Diana off her feet and onto his back, causing Diana to shout in surprise.

"Hold onto something!" he shouted, but Diana, not understanding what he was saying, merely looked at him quizzically. So she was caught completely off guard when Bigby raced towards the Enchantress, barely grabbing hold of his fur in time. They rocketed towards Enchantress at speeds Diana didn't believe possible, forcing her to hug close to Bigby to keep from being blown off. As they ran, the air seemed to swirl around them, forming a rounded cone of swirling air around Bigby as he ran.

Enchantress saw the two racing towards her, and used her magic to form a wall from the realms strange ground in front of her, before reinforcing that with a wall of ice and then a personal shield of magic energy around herself. Just as Enchantress finished the spells, Bigby struck the first wall, the air surrounding him dissipating as he did so. Bigby crashed through the second wall hard, while Enchantress leaped back to protect herself. As she did, Diana leaped off of Bigby's back and threw a punch at Enchantress's face. Her fist struck Enchantress's shield, and appeared to be stopped, but with a loud roar, Diana poured her strength into the blow, causing the shield to shatter like a hammer to glass. The remaining force in the punch was used nicely when Diana's fist met the side of Enchantress's face. The force of the blow sent Enchantress flying through the air before she hit the ground hard and rolled for a few more yards, coming to a stop nearly fifty yards away.

Bigby smiled as he watched Enchantress try to get up, until his eyes drifted away from the blonde and saw the Executioner holding a limp Blue by the throat. His eyes widen in surprise before they narrowed in fury.

"Diana!" he shouted as he raced towards her, catching her attention more from the sound than the meaning. Seeing him coming, she leaped onto his back as he passed her, before they ran towards where Blue and the Executioner were. As they ran, Diana saw Blue's sword lying on the ground nearby. As they approached it, Diana leaned over until she was parallel to the ground, holding on to Bigby with one hand. Reaching out, she grabbed the sword as they passed.

Right after she grabbed it, Bigby took a flying leap at the Executioner, sinking his teeth into the large man's arm, while at the same time, Diana slashed him across the chest with the sword as she righted herself on Bigby's back. The Executioner roared in pain, letting go of Blue and swinging his arm back, trying to shake Bigby off. Blue crumpled to the ground as Bigby was forced to let go, sending him and Diana flying through the air. Diana righted herself midair and then caught the larger Bigby before landing on the ground. Bigby raised an eyebrow at Diana as she set him back on the ground, to which she smiled in reply while patting him on the head.

A groan of pain caught their attention. Looking up, they saw Executioner bent over on one knee, blood seeping from his many wounds.

"Get up you useless oaf," came the Enchantress's voice, as she suddenly appeared next to him, only to immediately to grab his shoulder for support as her legs threatened to give out beneath her. As she righted herself, she took a deep calming breath. As she did so, sparks of magic energy shot out of the ground into her body, healing her body and revitalizing her. Then placing her hands on each side of the Executioner's head, she closed her eyes in concentration while sparks of energy raced up her body and into Executioner's. Moments later, Executioner rose back to his feet, his injuries gone, though his armor was still damaged.

"There, all better now?" Enchantress asked sarcastically, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yes, many thanks, my lady," he replied loudly, "I am ready to fight again!"

"What happened to your axe?" she deadpanned while eyeing Bigby and Diana, who were preparing themselves to attack again, "You might need it."

"The boy broke it with his sword,"

"Gods you're useless," she said before snapping her fingers, causing a single-bladed, long handed axe to appear out of thin air and drop into his hands.

With a roar, Executioner lifted his new axe into the air and charged Diana and Bigby. Bigby let out a roar of his own and met Executioner's charge, leaping at him with teeth bared. Executioner lifted his axe in defense, catching Bigby's teeth on the axe handle. With a grunt of effort, Executioner twirled around and tossed Bigby away. A moment later, Diana flew at him, Vorpral Sword raised. Executioner quickly rolled out of the way, realizing that the sword would cut through his axe just as easily as it had the first one.

As he rolled to his feet, he swung at Diana's legs. Diana nimbly leaped over the blade, while spinning in midair and slicing Executioner across the face. Executioner stumbled back, holding his face in pain, giving Diana an opening to boot him in the stomach, sending him flying back. Executioner fell hard on his back, but was forced to quickly roll to his side as Diana tried to drive his sword into his chest. He quickly rolled to his feet, and using the momentum, whirled his axe around and hit Diana on the side of her head with the broad side of his axe, sending her spiraling through the air.

As she got to her feet, Executioner rushed up behind her and stuck the handle of his axe against her neck and pulled her against his body, attempting to strangle her. Diana struggled for a few moments, desperately trying to fight off the larger man as her airway was forcefully closed. Then, with a shout of exertion, Diana threw her body weight forward, catching the Executioner off guard with her surprising strength. With a yell, she grabbed Executioner's axe and pulled it forward, pulling the Executioner over her shoulder and slamming him into the ground. Still gripping his axe, she lifted it up and slammed the top of the axe into his chest, before using the axe to flip herself over him and slam her feet into his gut. Lifting the axe again, she prepared to dig the axe's blade into his skull, but as she swung it down, the Executioner caught it and knocked her off his chest with a powerful kick from behind.

As Diana rolled to her feet, she was forced to jump back as Executioner swung at her. The axe embedded itself in the ground, the axe head becoming stuck in the ground. Seeing this, Diana ran at the Executioner, before leaping onto the axe itself and running up its handle and punching him in the face. As he reeled back, he lashed out with his hand and grabbed Diana's wrist before she could pull it back. Whirling around, he slammed her into the ground before stomping on her face with his massive boot. As she tried to get up, he slammed on to her head, before grabbing her leg and slamming her a half a dozen times into the ground before tossing her away. He then lumbered over to where his axe was.

Suddenly, Diana's Golden Lasso shot out from behind him and wrapped around the axe and pulled it straight at him. The Executioner was just able to duck beneath the axe as it flew into Diana's waiting hand. Right after she grabbed it, she whirled around and hit Executioner on the side of the head with the blunt side of the axe, sending him flying through the air. As she spun around again, she lashed out with her lasso again, wrapping it around the hilt of the Vorpral blade and pulled it over to her, grabbing it with her open hand.

She then flew at Executioner as he rose to his feet, whirling through the air. She slashed him across the chest with the sword before smacking him across the face with the axe again, sending him flying through the air. As he did, she through his axe at him, catching him in the gut, sending him soaring higher. Using her free hand, she threw her lasso again, wrapping it around Executioner's leg before pulling him to her. Right as he reached her, Diana punched him in the gut with a massive haymaker, the combined force of her pulling him in and her powerful punch creating a small shockwave. Diana quickly followed by striking Executioner in the face with the pommel of her sword, smashing him into the ground. She continued by whirling around and lifting her leg up parallel to her torso before she brought it crashing down on Executioner's head with extraordinary force, causing the ground to break and explode upward, the chunks resembling shards of glass. Diana slowly moved her foot out of the crater she had created, where the Executioner now lay out cold. Satisfied, Diana brushed her hands off before turning to help her friends.

After the Executioner had tossed him away, Bigby quickly righted himself, snarling as he prepared to attack the large man again. He was stopped however when Enchantress shot a blast of magical energy directly in front of him. Hopping back, Bigby snarled at the goddess. Smirking, she shot a jet of fire at Bigby, who responded by blowing a large gust of wind, causing a large explosion. As the smoke from the explosion spread, Bigby leapt through the cloud, opening his large maw to attack her. Encasing her arm in a magic shield, Enchantress held it up and caught Bigby on it. Bigby bit hard on the shield before he jerked his head to the side and pulled Enchantress off her feet. He thrashed his head from side to side, throwing Enchantress about like a rag doll, before he slammed her viciously into the ground several times. Reaching out, Enchantress managed to grab the top of Bigby's head as he thrashed her about. Casting a spell, she channeled a surge of electricity through her hand and into his head. Bigby began to twich uncontrollably as his hair stood on end. He let go of her arm, which was protected from the electricity by the magic shield.

Rolling to her feet, Enchantress waved her hand at Bigby, blasting him with a pulse of magic energy and sending him flying through the air. Curling into a ball, Bigby spun through the air before he was facing back towards Enchantress. He shot another blast of wind at her, rocketing himself higher into the air. The blast impacted right at Enchantress's feet, knocking her to the ground. Bigby landed nimbly on his feet, before steadying himself and taking a large breath of air. Rearing his head back, he snapped it forward as he unleashed a huge blast of air. Enchantress only had time to raise her arms in defense before she was hit by the large blast of air and knocked clean off her feet and sent sailing into the air. Twisting through the air, Enchantress shot magic bolts at Bigby, forcing him to dodge out of the way. Landing gracefully, Enchantress shot a ball of fire at Bigby, causing him to roll to the side to dodge the attack before charging at her. Enchantress continued to shot blast of energy at Bigby as he charged, but Bigby managed to each attack, getting closer to his advisory.

As he leaped at her, Enchantress quickly created a thick wall of ice around herself for protection. She smiled as she heard the satisfying thud of Bigby hitting the ice. This was quickly replaced by a look of surprise as she heard Bigby take a large breath before the ice wall was blown apart and she was sent flying through the air by another large blast of wind. As she sailed through the air, Bigby leaped after her, slamming into her midair. He quickly bit her arm, causing her to cry out in pain before he spun around and threw her towards the ground. Enchantress hit the ground hard with a loud grunt of pain, but she was quickly silenced when Bibgy slammed into her feet first, creating a crater in the glass-like ground. Bigby examined the now unconscious Enchantress's form closely before raising his head and letting out a howl of victory.

Thor flew through the air, soaring straight at Mordo, who was peppering him with blasts of magic energy. Thor dodged and rolled through the air to avoid the attacks and batting away others with his hammer. As Thor got closer, Mordo began an enchantment, forming a large fireball in his hands. Right as Thor reached him, Mordo threw the fireball at him. Thor reacted quickly crossing his arms in front of him to protect himself. The force of the attack forced Thor back as he tried desperately to stop the ball of flame. Suddenly, Mordo shot another blast of magical energy. The blast was absorbed into the fireball, causing it to glow brightly before exploding, sending Thor flying through the air and into the storm clouds.

As Mordo looked around wearily for any signs of Thor, Mjolnir came racing out of the clouds, heading straight for the dark wizard. Mordo was able to raise a magic shield in time to block the attack. But Mordo underestimated the power of Thor's hammer, which began to push hard against Mordo's shield, causing it to waver under the pressure. In response, Mordo poured as much power as he could muster into the shield, holding the hammer back, but just barely. Suddenly there was a large boom of thunder as two lightning bolts streaked out of the storm clouds. The bolts arc through the air, heading around Mordo's shield and straight at him. Mordo's eyes widened in surprise before he smirked confidently. Just as the lightning bolts were about to strike him, Mordo dropped his shield and vanished with a loud pop. The bolts struck each other with a large explosion as Thor's hammer began to fall out of the sky.

Suddenly, in a flash of lightning, Thor reappeared and grabbed his hammer as it fell, before he began looking around for Mordo. As he did, he failed to notice the ominous black cloud, far darker than the ones surrounding it, approach him silently from behind. Then, as the cloud hovered over Thor, long black tendrils shot out of it and wrapped themselves around his limbs. Before he realized what was happening, the tendrils began to drag him towards the cloud. Just as they were about to pull him into the cloud, Thor pulled back hard on the tendrils, causing them to go taunt. With a grunt of effort, Thor began to pull himself away from the cloud, which desperately tried to pull him back. With a loud roar, Thor began to spin himself around, pulling the cloud into the spin with him. As he spun, the tendrils began to loosen, but Thor quickly grabbed them. Then, with a last shout of exertion Thor threw the cloud away.

As it sailed through the air, the center of the cloud began to glow red. Suddenly, a proverbial rain of fire shot out of the cloud and raced towards Thor. With expert skill, Thor batted away any and all of the small fireballs that reached him with his hammer, until the attack ceased and he was left unharmed, Mjolnir's head smoking. However, the cloud began to glow again, only this time brighter, before it shot out a large tongue of red and black flame out of its center and straight at Thor. Thor quickly raised his hammer in front of him and fired a bolt of lighting just as the flames struck. The lightning raced out of the hammer, battling with the fire to defend Thor. Thor's defense kept the fire at bay, diverging it around him. Finally, the flames stopped and Thor took the time to make an attack of his own, firing another bolt of lightning with a mighty war cry.

As the lightning struck the cloud, it seemed to absorb it, the lightning arcing all around its form. Then, the lightning began to gather in the cloud's center before three more lightning bolts arc out from the sky above and were absorbed by the cloud as well, the combined energy merging with that of the first bolt's. When the energy had been gathered into the cloud, it shot out of its center as a massive single bolt, straight at Thor. Thor merely narrowed his eyes before raising his hammer and pointing it at the on coming attack. The bolt struck Thor, but he didn't seem to be fazed by it at all. Instead the electricity seemed to be absorbed into him, causing bolts to shot off him as his hair flailed around wildly and his eyes glowed.

"**Foolish mortal!**" Thor bellowed, his voice deeper and seeming to echo around him, "**You dare challenge the Thunder with his own power!? I will smite you down for your insolence!**"

With that, Thor raised his hammer into the air, before no less than a dozen lightning bolts shot out of the sky and were absorbed into it. With a deafening roar, Thor pointed his hammer at the cloud and shot a gigantic blast shot out, more than three times his height in width. The bolt plowed through the cloud like it was nothing, vaporizing it before soaring off into the horizon. As the cloud was dispersed, Mordo suddenly appeared nearby with a loud popping sound, his cloths smoking as he plummeted to the ground after just barely avoiding the attack. But Thor was not done with him. Appearing next to Mordo in a flash of lightning, Thor struck Mordo with his hammer, sending him racing towards the ground. As Mordo fell, Thor repeated the attack six more times before Mordo finally hit the ground with astounding force, creating a crater of shattered glass. Then Thor appeared above him again, bringing his hammer down on Mordo's prone form as he was simultaneously struck by three lightning bolts, creating an even bigger crater and shooting shards of the glass-like ground into the sky. Thor raised his hammer into the air while placing a foot on Mordo's chest triumphantly, letting out a victory roar as lightning crashed around him.

Clea and Loreli starred daggers at each other from where they stood. Both waited with tense anticipation for the other to make their move, which may very well decide the entire outcome of the battle. Suddenly, with lightning fast reflexes, Loreli shot a magic bolt at Clea. Seeing it coming, Clea blocked the attack with a shield before firing a bolt of her own at Loreli. In response, Loreli batted the bolt away, before firing a continuous blast of energy at Clea. Clea responded in kind and fired a blast of her own. The two attacks met in a thunderous display of power, sparks of magical energy shooting off as the two witches dueled for supremacy.

But before that could happen, the large ball of energy formed by the two attacks reached its max and exploded violently. The shockwave from the blast knocked both women off of their feet. Loreli quickly rolled back to her feet and shot a fireball at Clea. Clea quickly rolled to her side to avoid the attack, before shooting a bolt of electricity at her. Loreli held up her arm and blocked the bolt with a shield. As she did, the electricity began to course around her arm. Slamming her arm into the ground, she created a dome of electricity that surged outwards towards Clea.

As the surge approached her, Clea channeled her power into her foot and stamped it on the ground, causing a stone slab to shoot out of the ground in front of her, protecting her from the electricity. Pointing her hand at the wall, she cast a Blasting Charm at it, causing it to explode, sending debris flying at Loreli. Loreli smiled at the oncoming attack, before raising her hands, channeling power from her surroundings, causing her eyes to glow. Right before it hit her, the debris stopped midair, each piece surrounded by a glowing aura of energy. Concentrating, Loreli brought the pieces of debris together and formed a large spike before shooting it at Clea.

Clea raised a shield to block but the spike came to fast and she wasn't able to block it in time and was partially struck by the attack, sending her flying back and landing on the ground hard. As Clea tried to get to her feet, Loreli Apparated right next to her and knocked her back to the ground with a bolt of magical energy. As Clea lay helpless on the glass-like ground, Loreli bombarded her with more blasts of energy, creating a small crater. She then levitated Clea into the air right in front of her, and; still glowing with power; shot Clea point blank with a bolt of electricity. Clea screamed as she twitched uncontrollably, before she slumped over, held aloft by Loreli's, who promptly dropped her back on the ground.

"It looks like the Dark Realm will have to find itself a new Sorcerer Supreme," Loreli stated, pointing her hand at the Clea and charging a blast of energy, "Maybe they can find someone better suited for the job this time,"

At that, Clea's eyes snapped open, though they were now glowing with power. Bolts of energy shot into her from all around the crater she was in, mixing with a magical energy that seemed to be coming out of her. Her wounds healed in seconds and a bright white aura surrounded her, before it exploded outward, knocking Loreli off her feet. As Loreli struggled to her feet, she saw Clea rise out of the crater she was in, hovering slightly above the ground as bolts of energy shot off from the white aura surrounding her.

"I'll show you what a real Sorceress Supreme can do," Clea said in voice that seemed to echo from everywhere. She held up her hand and shot a blast of white energy at Loreli, which streaked through the air faster than she could see it. The blast knocked Loreli back through the air. As Loreli flew through the air, Clea slammed her hands against the ground, forcing magical energy into it. Suddenly, a square pillar of the glass-like ground shot up from underneath Loreli and struck her in the back, sending her flying up into the air. As she fell back down, another emerged, rocketing her back into the sky. More and more pillars began shooting out of the ground, each striking Loreli with vicious force.

Then, as Loreli fell back to the earth again, Clea appeared directly in front of her. Suddenly another Clea appeared to behind her, while two more appeared to either side. They seemed to vibrate, as if they were in constant motion. Then each held up there hand and began charging an energy blast. Each fired the blast at the same instant, creating a swirling vortex of white light with Loreli in the middle. After a few seconds the vortex exploded outward before an unconscious Loreli dropped to the ground. Three of the Clea's immediately vanished while the last one ceased vibrating. Clea's eyes stopped glowing and the aura surrounding her vanished before she dropped to the ground herself, exhausted and unconscious.

A distance away, Circe stared intently at the old woman she was walking towards. Frau met her gaze with a bored one of her own, before she summoned a rocking chair behind her and sat in it, slowly rocking back and forth while pulling out her knitting and continued working on it, all while Circe approached her. The sight of the old woman's apparent disinterest in her brought about a powerful feeling of hate in Circe.

"I don't care how powerful you think you may be, hag," Circe spat as she channeled energy form the surrounding area into herself, "But I will not be disrespected by one such as you. Within this place I control power far beyond your simple understanding!"

"A lot of talk and no action is all I seem to get from you, child," Frau replied without looking up from her knitting.

With a roar of hate, Circe fired a blast of magic energy at Frau. Frau merely held her hand up in front of her, and created a magic shield to block the attack. After the attack had dissipated, Frau held her hand over the ground while muttering words under breath. Suddenly, the ground began to shake before bolts of raw magic power sprung out of it and began arcing towards Circe. Seeing this, Circe propelled herself into the air, but the bolts of energy gathered themselves together and shot up after her. As she rose into the air, Circe shot a blast of fire at the large magic bolt that was chasing her. The two attacks met with a large blast that sent off a small shockwave. Circe continued to pour more power into the spell as it pushed against the magic bolt. Eventually, Frau's attack gave out and the blast of flame shot out of the sky and struck the ground with tremendous force, before spreading out in a large circle, consuming everything in its path.

As the wall of flames approached her, Frau spared a moment to look up from her knitting at it, before merely holding her hand in front of her again. This time a strong wind began to pick up before it began swirling around her, forming a dome of churning air around her. When the wave of fire struck the dome, it flowed around it, unable to press through the shifting air currents. But as the fire began to move past the dome, the winds drew the fire in, turning the dome into a raging ball of flames.

Suddenly, the dome began to rise into the air, releasing Frau from its confines. After it had risen high enough, the flames condensed themselves into a sphere, before hovering in the air, as if waiting. After the flames had stopped their transformation, Frau raised her hand above her head, before snapping her fingers. At the signal, the fireball shot off through the air straight at Circe, leaving a streak of fire trailing behind it.

Circe only had enough time to throw up a Shield Charm to defend herself, before the fireball hit her with terrific force, knocking her back and leaving a large cloud of smoke in its wake. Circe fell out of the sky like a stone but manage to right herself before she hit the ground, without a single scratch on her.

"Is that all you can do, you old hag!?" Circe mocked triumphantly. Suddenly the surrounding area began strangely dim. Looking up, she saw the cloud of smoke rapidly descending on her. Before she could even move the cloud had engulfed her. Circe fell to her knees and began to cough uncontrollably as the smoke swirled around her. Suddenly, the smoke seemed to disappear, but as she opened her eyes she found herself in complete darkness.

"_No child_," Frau's voice echoed from all around her, "_Far from it in fact_." Suddenly, a lone figure appeared in the darkness, a strange light surrounding it, allowing Circe to see it. As the figure approached her, Circe was able to make it out, and recoiled slightly at it. The figure appeared to be an ancient looking woman, her skin clinging tightly to her frame, giving a boney look to her. She wore a simple white dress with short sleeves. Her nails were long and ugly and ended in sharp points. Her hair was grey and stringy, hanging loosely on her head. She wore a large smile on her face, which showed off her sharp, ugly teeth. She stared at Circe through empty eye sockets, save for glowing red dots in the center of each.

"_Hello, my pretty__,_" the woman said with a cackle, before lunging at Circe. Circe blasted the woman, which caused her to burst into dust. As the dust dissipated, the sound of loud cackling came from all around Circe.

"_Oh, my child, you believe that you are so powerful, so…high and mighty. But just because you flaunt your power so, does not make you powerful. Some, like me, hide our true potential, sticking to the shadows, weaving our magic in profound yet subtle ways. I suppose you thought that only the good Doctor and his apprentice were the only Sorcerer Supremes here. You were wrong. This is why I held Mordru in check for so long. You know that despite all his boastings of "unimaginable power", the enchantments keeping him in place would have held had you not interfered. This is why I make you look like nothing more than a novice in our duels. I know things that neither you nor anyone here will ever grow to learn, dark secrets hidden in the deep, forbidden places of both my and your worlds._"

Suddenly, Circe felt a gust of air from behind her. Whirling around, she found the nightmarish old woman standing behind her. Before she could react, the woman latched on to her face with her long boney hands.

"_Let me show you them,_" the woman whispered before Circe's mind was assaulted by nightmarish visions and unholy sounds. Meanwhile, Frau sat in her rocker, silently working on her knitting as Circe flinched about on the ground, a far away and fearful look in her eyes.

"Now you know who I am, child," Frau whispered to the prone woman, "And I will always be there to remind you in the one place you will never be rid of me…in you nightmares."

The sky lit up as bright flashes of energy streaked across it. Dr. Strange twirled through the air to avoid an energy blast fired by Mordru, before shooting one of his own back at the evil wizard. Mordru smacked the attack away, before shooting a bolt of electricity at the Sorcerer Supreme. Strange blocked it with a Shield Charm and retaliated with a blast of frigid air. In response, Mordru spun around rapidly, before his form became incased in red hot flames, dispersing the cold air. Slowing his spin, Mordru gathered the fire into his hand, forming a long trailing, whip of flame that he lashed out at Strange with. The Doctor attempted to fly out of the way, but the whip wrapped around his ankle and burned into his flesh with a sickening hiss. Strange screamed out in pain as Mordru reeled him in. When he was face to face with Dr. Strange, he created a ball of magic energy in his hand and struck Strange in the chest with it, sending Strange flying away, disappearing into a large storm cloud.

Suddenly, the cloud Dr. Strange had entered began to shift until it took on a form resembling Strange's own. As it lifted its large hand and pointed it at Mordru, bolts of lightning began to discharge from it in random directions. Then, as if on command, several lightning bolts shot out form the hand and headed towards Mordru. Mordru only smiled before he gathered himself into a ball as magic energy began to course around him. Then, just as the lightning bolts were about to hit, Mordru spread his arms and legs outwards, causing him to be surrounded by a large globe of magic energy which halted the bolts of electricity. Mordru then gather the fire from his whip into one large ball and shot it into the cloud. The fireball exploded as it entered the cloud, causing the form of Dr. Strange to lash around as if in pain before dissolving.

Mordru watched with an evil grin on his face as the cloud's form fell apart, but his grin quickly left when he saw it begin to take another shape. The cloud now began to resemble the long serpentine neck of a dragon. At the same time the fire that Mordru had shot at the cloud had not only not dissipated but appeared to be growing in intensity, the red light within the cloud growing brighter and brighter. As it finished taking its new form, the cloud dragon reared back before launching a fireball a hundred times stronger then the one sent at it back at Mordru. The dark wizard could only watch in horror as the massive fireball approached him, before he held his hands up to shield him at the last second. The fireball exploded violently upon contact with Mordru, lighting up the sky for miles around. As the smoke cleared Mordru was no where to be seen.

The smoke began to clear however, as a large wind began to pick up. The wind continued to grow stronger and stronger while increasing in area. Eventually the cloud dragon became the epicenter of the large swirling vortex of air. The wind's strength proved too much for the magic holding the cloud together and it was forcefully dispersed, revealing Dr. Strange at its center. Strange held up his hands in order to protect his face from the wind's onslaught. Suddenly, the air with in the vortex began to rapidly cool, much faster than was naturally possible. Before he knew it, Strange found himself in a large globe of ice, held aloft by the buffeting winds. Then, from out of the clouds, Mordru reappeared, his clothes and body covered in various burn marks from Dr. Strange's previous attack. Holding his hands above his head, Mordru gathered a large amount of magical energy before launching it at the ice globe, shattering it and sending Dr. Strange plummeting to the ground, surrounded by shards of ice.

Dr. Strange was able to levitate himself just above the ground, halting a fatal fall. As he righted himself, Mordru descended from above, and landed gracefully on the ground.

"Enough games, Doctor," Mordru said with a sinister grin, "Time to die,"

"We'll see about that," Dr. Strange replied.

At that, both wizards shot powerful magical blasts at each other, which collided with tremendous force. The two blasts formed a large ball of energy that continued to grow as the adversaries poured more power into their attacks. Suddenly, the ball began to spark and pulse ominously before exploding violently, sending both wizards flying back.

Dr. Strange rolled a few feet before coming to a stop with a groan. Slowly he opened his eyes…and looking straight down Bigby's snout to his large yellow eyes.

"My, what big eyes you have," Strange groaned as he rolled onto his side.

"Funny," Bigby replied, "How ya feelin' Doc?"

"I've been better," Strange replied, before he noticed Diana standing beside him and offering him a hand up, which he accepted.

"Your friend seems to be doing better," Bigby stated, motioning to where Mordru was rising to his feet while drawing in power from the area around him.

"Great," Strange sighed.

"Perhaps a change in tactics is in order?" suggested the booming voice of Thor as he descended from the air.

"Alright, any suggestions?" Dr. Strange asked.

"We could let _him_ out," said Frau, as she walked up to the group.

Dr. Strange paused as he gave Frau a hard, appraising gaze, "Do you think we can control him?" he asked.

"Between the two of us…possibly" she replied with a shrug, "But a rapid dog on a leash is more useful than one in a cage."

Dr. Strange paused, in deep thought, before he let out a loud sigh, "Fine, we need to somehow counter Mordru's advantage in this place. We'll need the Stranger for this."

"Already working on it, dearie" Frau replied, moving her hands about as magical energy condensed in front of her.

"Do you think you three can buy us a few minutes?" Dr. Strange asked Bigby, Thor and Diana.

"I was not aware one could purchase the passage of time, Stephen Strange," Thor replied with a confused expression.

Bigby let out a sigh while shaking his head, "Sure Doc, we'll hold him off while you and the witch do your hocus pocus."

"Alright, good luck," Dr. Strange replied before beginning enchantments of his own.

Turning around, Bigby faced where Mordru was standing, an aura of magical energy surrounding him.

"All right, let's do this," Bigby said, before he charged at Mordru, Diana and Thor right behind him.

"What have we here?" Mordru said to himself as he eyed the attacking heroes. Then he looked past them and saw Frau and Strange performing a spell together.

"Oh, I see," Mordru said before charging blasts of energy in his hands, "Well, we can't have that, now can we?"

"SCATTER!" shouted Bigby as Mordru shot a blast of magical energy at them. Bigby and Diana dodged to the sides, while Thor went over it. With a roar, Thor descended from the sky, hammer raised to strike. Mordru side stepped Thor's attack, which left a small crater where he had been previously standing. Making a backhanding motion, Mordru struck Thor with an invisible force which caused him to stumble back a bit, giving Mordru the opportunity to blast him in the gut, sending him flying back.

As Mordru watched Thor roll to a stop, he heard Diana charging at him from behind. Whirling around, he shot a burst of magic into the ground, which caused a pillar of the glass-like ground between him and her. With a shout, Diana punched the obstacle, cracking it. Then gripping the sides of the pillar, she broke the pillar off the ground and lifted it above her head, preparing to strike Mordru. The wizard merely smiled at her before waving his hand, causing the pillar to liquefy. Gesturing with his hands, Mordru caused the liquid glass to from a globe around Diana, before solidifying it, trapping her in a glass orb, before flinging it away with another gesture.

As the glass globe rolled away, Bigby lunged at Mordru, jaws open to attack him. As Bigby was about to strike him, Mordru blasted him with a magic bolt, sending him flying away. Bigby rolled to his feet, before taking a deep breath and blowing a large funnel of wind at Mordru. Mordru responded by casting a spell to create a funnel of his own. The two attacks met in a large blast of air, the two attacks fighting for dominance. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot out of Mordru's funnel and flew at Bigby, unhindered by the wind. The attack struck Bigby and sent him flying backwards, rolling to a stop a few yards away with a smoking wound in his side.

Mordru smiled at his handiwork, before his attention was drawn to the magic being built up from the spell Frau and Dr. Strange were performing. Levitating himself off the ground, Mordru flew full speed at them. Mordru charged up a magic blast as he flew, ready to unleash it when he was close enough. He began laughing wickedly as he prepared to smash the ball between the two. However, he was interrupted by a large flash that blinded him, allowing someone to knock the ball from his hand, dispelling it. Before he could regain his senses, he felt someone grab the front of his tunic. Eventually, his vision cleared…and he found himself being held by the Phantom Stranger.

"Hello Mordru," the Stranger said, before blasting him with his free hand. As Mordru sailed through the air, the Stranger turned to address Dr. Strange and Frau.

"So what can I do for you, Doctor?" he asked.

"We need you help to summon someone else,"

"The Specter?"

"Exactly," replied Frau.

"You realize how dangerous that is?" the Stranger questioned, sternly.

"We're out of options here, Stranger," Dr. Strange explained, "This place gives him ungodly amount of power and we need something to counteract that."

"Fine, but don't blame me if this blows up in our faces," he replied dryly.

"You need us to buy you some time?" Strange asked.

"Please, I've been his warden for centuries. I be disappointed in myself if I wasn't ready for something like this by now,"

Stretching his hands to his sides, he began chanting while a strange green energy surrounded him. Then, a circle of arcane symbols appeared around him, written in the same green energy. As the Stranger continued to chant, green smoke began rise from the symbols, forming a large cloud above him. Suddenly, the Stranger ceased his chanting with one last powerful word, which was immediately replaced by a large roar as the Specter emerged from the smoke, his cloak becoming part of the cloud at its bottom. Mordru, having righted himself midair, was forced to shield his eyes as a blast of wind blew the smoke away, revealing the Specter's full formed. The evil wizard's eyes widened before they narrowed in determination. Thor on the other hand, looked on in awe as he picked himself up off the ground.

"The Spirit of Vengeance," Thor whispered to himself, "Indeed, you are an even greater Sorcerer than I imagined Stephen Strange."

"Doctor, Frau, NOW!" the Stranger shouted before he continued chanting. At the command, both Frau and Strange threw their hands up towards the Specter, causing large chains to appear and shoot forward, wrapping themselves around the Specter's arms and chest. Before the Specter could react, the Stranger cast another enchantment, causing magic symbols to slither off the chains and cover his entire body, forcing him to go rigid.

"_**So Stranger, to what do I owe to this sudden parole?**_" the Specter asked in a booming voice.

"We require your aid, Specter!" replied Dr. Strange.

"_**Ah, the Sorcerer Supreme himself has summoned me,**_" the Specter noted, before turning his gaze to Frau "_**And the child killer as well. So many sins here to punish, but I suppose I was brought here to defeat a specific threat, was I not?**_"

"Correct," Dr. Strange answered, "The dark wizard Mordru is trying to escape, and we need you to stop him."

"_**Mordru.**_" Specter spat, "_**To many times has that worm slipped through my fingers over the centuries. I will relish the chance to end him.**_"

"No Specter we need him alive!"

"_**We will see**_" Specter muttered before he took off to the skies, the chains lengthening to allow him movement. Mordru's eyes hardened as he saw the Specter's massive form heading towards him. Holding his hands out in front of him, he began peppering the Specter with magic blasts, but Specter shook them off like they were nothing. Then, when the Specter was right on top of him, Mordru shot the Flames of the Faltine at him. The powerful Flames engulfed the Specter, stopping him as they raged around him. Suddenly, the Flames were dispersed by a powerful blast of wind, revealing the Specter unharmed within.

"_**I've come to expect better from you Mordru,**_" the Specter mocked as he reached his hands out towards Mordru.

"Oh don't worry old friend, I'm just getting started! Crimson Bands of Cyttorak!" Mordru shouted as red bands of energy appeared around Specter and enclosed on him, binding his arms to his sides. Then the bands began to glow green before the symbols covering the Specter's body appeared on them as well. The Specter struggled against his restraints, but to no avail.

"HA! You must be joking, Strange!" Mordru mocked, "You summon the Specter to battle the likes of me, but then put so many restraints on him that his powers only match what you normally tap into. This was just too easy, especially working your own enchantments against you. All you've done is enable me to finish off an even older enemy of mine."

Dr. Strange gritted his teeth as he tried to think of a way out of this. After a few seconds he came to one conclusion, but he didn't like it.

"Frau, cut your chains," he said without even looking at her.

"Are you sure, if I do that he might escape and kill us all," she replied evenly.

"And if you don't we're all dead anyway, so do it!"

"Alright dearie, if that's what you want," she said and with a wave of her hands, her chains vanished.

'They wouldn't,' Mordru thought to himself. Suddenly, Specter's large hand shot forward, destroying the bands holding him, and wrapped around Mordru's body.

"_**Now I have you,**_" the Specter growled.

"That's what you think," Mordru replied, before a blast of energy exploded out from him, destroying the Specter's hand and freeing him. As Mordru flew away, the Specter looked emotionlessly at were his hand use to be, before a cloud of green smoke rose from the end of his arm and formed a new hand, good as new. Turning away from his hand, he shot off after Mordru, quickly gaining on the frightened wizard. As he flew the storm clouds covering the sky followed him, creating a long, streaming tail of storm clouds. Turning around, Mordru charged up as much energy as he could and fired it at the Specter, but the blast passed through him like he was part of the clouds. Before Mordru could prepare another spell, the Specter was upon him, tackling him and slamming him into the ground, the tail of storm clouds enveloping them. The clouds formed a sphere around the two, lightning bolts flashing within, allowing glimpses inside as the Specter brutally beat Mordru with his bare hands. Suddenly, the shadow of the Specter vanished before he reappeared, larger than before, outside the sphere. Grasping the sphere in his massive hand, the Specter lifted up to eye level, before he squeezed it, causing a massive surge of lightning bolts to go off within, Mordru's pained cry's giving testament to the viciousness of the attack. Then, Specter then opened his hand and turned it upside down, allowing the smoking form of Mordru to fall to the ground below. Mordru began to hack uncontrollably as he lay helpless on the ground, before the Specter appeared above him, human-sized.

"_**May God have mercy on your soul,**_" he stated as he lifted his foot to crush Mordru, "_**For you shall receive none from me,**_"

But as Specter brought his foot down on Mordru's head, a golden lasso shot out and wrapped around the dark wizard, before pulling him to safety in Diana's arms.

"_**You will not interfere, heathen!**_" Specter shouted before stopping towards Diana, only to stop as he felt his other set of chains fall off.

"That's quite all right Specter," stated Dr. Strange as he walked up to Diana's side, "But your services are now longer required. You are dismissed."

Turning around, the Specter saw the Stranger standing behind him. Before he could react, the Stranger snapped his fingers and Specter began transforming back into a cloud of green smoke from the feet up. He managed to let out a cry of anguish before he completely dispersed and the cloud flowed into the Stranger's waiting hand, seemingly being absorbed into it.

"Pleasant as always," Strange commented as the Specter was dismissed, before turning to Diana and placing a hand on her shoulder, "Thank you for that, Princess. That was quite an act of quick thinking,"

A blank stare was all he received.

"And you still can't understand a word I'm saying. Well that's fixed easily enough," he said before he placed a hand on Diana's head and spoke a few words under his breath, causing his hand and Diana's eyes to flash blue.

"There, how's that Diana? Can you understand me now?"

"Y-yes," Diana said a bit awkwardly, "Th-that's much better, Stephen Strange,"

"Good, just give it time and you speaking English with the best of them,"

"Th-that's good, s-so what do you want me to do with him?" she asked, holding up the still smoking Mordru.

"Well, will your lasso hold him until we can get him back into the Well?"

"I b-believe so, the enchantments on the Lasso of T-Truth will contain all b-but the most p-powerful beings,"

"Did you say Lasso of Truth?" he asked.

"Yes, the Lasso c-compels all with in it t-to tell the t-truth."

Suddenly, Dr. Strange leaped forward and grasped Mordru by the tunic, pulling him up to face, "Listen to me, I know you have always been to powerful for the Veritaserum but you're not strong enough to resist this. What are the Lords of Chaos planning?"

Despite being semi-conscious, it was apparent that Mordru heard the question and was trying with all his strength to resist telling.

"Shu-Shum…SHUM!" Mordru said as he tried to resist the lasso's magic.

"Out with it, damn you!"

"Shuma-Gorath…Anung un Rama…Source…Gr-Great Evil B-"

"SILENCE YOU FOOL!!" shouted Circe from were she was rising to her shaking feet. Then, suddenly, she vanished in a poof of black smoke, quickly followed by the others she was with, before Mordru himself vanished in a puff of smoke, right out of the Lasso.

"Diana, what happened!?" Strange exclaimed.

"I don't k-know Stephen Strange. O-only a being of im-mense power could do th-that. Wh-What does this mean?"

"Nothing good, I can assure you that much," he said darkly, "Nothing good at all."

"Stephen! Come quickly!" called Clea from some distance away. Looking up, Dr. Strange quickly rushed over to where Clea was kneeled over Blue's prone body.

"Oh God, is he still breathing?" Dr. Strange asked as he kneeled down beside him, while the others stood around them.

"I-I don't think so," Clea said trying to fight back the tears that threatened to over flow from her eyes.

"Damn it, he's not breathing," Strange cursed, "I need to perform CPR."

"Let me do it," Bigby said as he transformed back into human form.

"Why does that make any difference?" Strange asked.

Bigby gave him an "_are-you-kidding-me?_" look in return.

"Right," Dr. Strange replied before stepping aside. Bigby then positioned himself next to Blue's body, and began pumping on his chest with his hands after tilting his head back and opening his mouth. After pumping a half-dozen times, Bigby put his mouth against Blue's and blew. Only, Bigby being who he was, put much more force into his breath than most. Blue's body jolted upwards, before his eyes shot open and he began coughing wildly. Looking to his side, he saw Bibgy kneeling next to him, before putting a hand to his mouth and crying out in disgust after putting two and two together. Turning back to look at Bigby, he saw that he was naked from his transformation, and let out another cry of disgust before Bigby bashed him over the head.

"Shut up kid, I did it to save your life," he said, angrily.

"Yeah well, you could have let the hot Amazon do it," Blue said, pointing at Diana, which earned him another bonk on the head, this time from Diana.

"Ow! Hey, you understood what I said?" he asked.

"Yes, is th-there anything else you w-would like to say?" she asked.

"No, no," he said quickly, causing the others to laugh.

"Um, Doc," Blue stated, "how are we going to get out of here?"

_Hell, the Lords of Chaos Meeting Chamber_

A large puff of smoke signaled the arrival of the three Lords of Chaos and their cohorts. The remaining Lords of Chaos sat in their respective seats, looking at the group before them. Slowly, Loki leaned forward in his chair, resting his head in his hand.

"So, did you get him?" he asked.

"Yes we did," replied Enchantress, rising to her feet, "Though we met heavier resistance than we expected."

"We saw," stated Trigon, "Thor and the Princess Diana were there, a rather unexpected development."

"We also saw how you weren't able to stop them from prying information out of him," Lucifer spat.

"Lucifer we tried!" cried Circe, "We couldn't stop them, but they were to strong,"

"She's right Lucifer," spoke the Lord still hidden in shadows with a deep voice, "It's not there fault that the scum went picking fights and couldn't hold his tongue."

At that he rose from his seat, revealing himself in the light. He was a large, hulking man, with grey, almost stone like skin and glowing red eyes. He wore a one piece black outfit of an unknown material, which included a hood that covered the top of his bald head. He also wore black gloves and boots and a belt around his waist.

"Darkseid, please," Mordru pleaded, "I couldn't help it. The Princess, her Lasso had an enchantment on it. I couldn't resist it."

"Then you are weak," he said as he walked over to him, before pushing him over with his foot.

"Darkseid, don't kill me," Mordru begged.

"No I won't kill you," Darkseid stated, as he placed his large foot on Mordru's chest, "You are still of some use to us. You will merely be…punished." At that his eyes glowed brighter before red beams of energy shot out of them, striking Mordru in the chest. Mordru screamed out in pain as the beams burned into his chest. This only seemed to prod Darkseid on, increasing the beam's power and Mordru's screams with them, adding to the orchestra of pain and suffering ringing through out the plane.

_Sanctum Sanctorium, Metropolis, the next day_

Thor gazed intently into the large glass globe Dr. Strange had provided for him. Within was the image of a man that Dr. Strange had identified as the green faced man, his name revealed to be Stanley Ipkiss. He sat within a room resembling a library, playing with a small white and brown dog, which ran about energetically. Stanley laughed at the small dog's antics, before a young, dark haired girl entered the scene and began to play with the dog.

"He seems to be doing well," said Diana as she walked up behind Thor.

"Yes, he seems to have found a place safe from Loki,"

"I guess that means we no longer need to search for him."

"No I suppose it does not," he said before touching the globe, "until our paths cross again, Stanley Ipkiss,"

Thor rose form his seat, leaving the room the globe was in, followed quickly by Diana. As they left, the image of Stanley froze before fading into the foggy recesses of the glass ball.

"So, now what shall we do?" Diana asked.

"Well you are welcome to stay with us for as ever long as you need," said Doctor Strange as he and Clea walked around a corner to greet them.

"Are you sure Stephen Strange? We do not wish to be a burden," Diana said.

"Please, I would fell like I had insulted the gods themselves if I, as the Sorcerer Supreme, not allow the Son of Odin and the Princess of the Amazons to stay here." Strange replied, while Clea nodded enthusiastically.

"Well then, it looks like we have a place to stay. What will we do here?" Diana asked.

"I don't know Diana, but the Fates have yet to steer us wrong. We shall know it what needs to be done when we see it, for our journey is just beginning."

A/N: Well that took longer I thought. But I was really busy this summer, with work and other stuff. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because it was the most action packed one here. I'm getting started with the next chapter as soon as possible, because this is where everything comes together. Also I hope the clues Mordru gave give you all some idea of what will happen in the future. Until next time, Later True Believer!


	11. The Calm

**Chapter 11: The Calm **

_Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper._

**-**Albert Einstein

_September 10__th__ 2012,_

"Peter Parker," said a voice from the darkness. Shooting his eyes open, a young boy, no more than 16, gazed around the absolute blackness that surrounded him. The young boy had short brown hair and brown eyes behind a pair of glasses. He appeared very scrawny beneath his boxers and t-shirt.

"W-who's there?" he asked with a shaky voice.

A figure suddenly appeared from the darkness. It appeared to be a large shrouded man with a large book it his hand, which he periodically flipped through. Raising his head slightly, Peter's gaze was met with the unnerving stare of an old, blind man.

"Times are changing, Peter Parker," he said in a dry, solemn voice, "Not all for the better,"

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, confused.

"Learn well the lesson of power and responsibility, for it will guide you through many a challenge," the cloaked man continued, enigmatically.

"What does that mean?" Peter demanded, his patience running thin.

"Times are changing, Peter Parker. Not all for the Better," as the cloaked man repeated the line; a large shadow loomed over Peter. Looking up, he saw a large red and blue spider descending on him. Peter let out a scream and threw up his arms just as the spider struck. His world went black again but he could still hear the old man's voice loud and clear.

"Embrace your destiny, Peter parker,"

Peter let out a scream as he shot bolt upright in his bed, his bed sheets flying off as he did so. Looking around, he could make out his small bedroom through his blurry vision. Hearing footsteps pounding up the stairs, he reached for his glasses on his bedside table and put them on. Just as he placed his glasses in front of his eyes, his bedroom door slammed open.

In the doorway stood an elderly man. He looked to be in his early sixties, with short gray hair and a thick physique. He wore a flannel shirt and a pair of jeans with brown loafers on his feet. A pair of glasses sat on his nose.

"Peter! Are you alright!?!" the man asked, worried.

"Yeah, Uncle Ben, I'm fine," Peter said, running a hand through his hair, "It was just a nightmare,"

"Thank God," Uncle Ben responded with a smile, placing his hand over his heart, "you scared the hell out of me and you're Aunt May."

"Sorry," Peter apologized, rubbing the back of his head.

"It's no problem son, but it sounded like you had one heck of a dream," Ben said before walking over and sitting on the edge of Peter's bed, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No thanks, Uncle Ben," Peter replied with a smile, "I barely even remember it anyways."

"Alright," Ben relented, before turning to look at the clock, "Uh oh, you better hurry Pete or your going to be late for school!"

Whipping his head to the side, Peter looked at his bedside clock.

"Oh man I'm so late," he exclaimed before leaping out of bed and rushing over to his dresser, grabbing some clothes and then rushing out of the room in the direction of the bathroom. Ben could only smile as he slowly shook his head before rising to his feet and heading back down stairs.

_Ding-dong!_

The light chime of the doorbell rang through there small, two story house on the outskirts of Metropolis. After a few seconds, the white wooden door of the house swung open, revealing an elderly lady behind it. She had short white hair and blue eyes. She wore a purple sweater and grey pants over her slim physique and appeared to be in her sixties.

"Good morning, Mrs. Parker!" a young, joking voice greeted her as she opened the door. Standing before her was a 16 year old boy, with blue eyes, a skinny build and short, spiky, blond hair. He wore a black jacket over a red shirt and blue jeans. He wore white sneakers on his feet.

"Good morning, Eddie," May responded happily, "Ah and I see you brought Richie with you as well," she said looking past where Eddie was standing at another young boy. He had short blond hair and blue eyes behind a pair of glasses. He wore a green sweatshirt and white pants over his thin frame.

"Morning Mrs. P," Richie greeted her with a wave.

"Where are all your other friends?" May asked.

"Well Vic, Gar and Harry usually meet us at school. Johnny is at the S.T.A.R research lab with his dad and sister. And we're on our way to pick up Virgil and his brother."

"Where's Jimmy?" May asked.

"What do you mean, Jimmy's right..." Eddie trailed off when he found no one else behind him. "Richie, where's Jimmy?"

"Where else?" Richie replied while gesturing towards the house next door. Standing on the sidewalk, looking up at the house with a vacant expression was a boy their age. He had short red hair, green eyes and pale skin dotted with freckles. He wore a brown jacket over a green shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Jimmy!" Eddie shouted, "Hey Jimmy!"

"W-what!?!" sputtered Jimmy, "Oh, sorry Eddie! I was just-"

Before Jimmy could finish his statement, the door to the house he had been looking at opened and a beautiful young woman stepped out. She had mid-length red hair and green eyes. She wore a brown jacket over a blue shirt and tight jeans with brown high-heeled boots on her feet. She clutched various textbooks to her chest while a backpack was slung over her shoulder. She descended the stairs from her house quickly before she caught sight of Jimmy standing in front of her.

"Oh, hi Jimmy!" she greeted cheerfully, "What are you doing?"

"H-hi, MJ!" Jimmy replied, a blush covering his face, "I was just…ya know…um...hanging out,"

"Right," she replied skeptically, "why are you doing in front of my house?"

"Well…uh…you see…"

"Come on MJ, you know Jimmy, he was just being a gentleman and was going to offer to carry your books for you," A voice answered as Jimmy felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Turning he saw Peter standing beside him, clad in a brown jacket over an orange shirt and jeans, a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Well thank you, Jimmy," she said kind-heartedly, "but my ride's going to be here soon and it looks like you're missing Virgil, so I'll just see you guys at school, 'kay?"

"S-sure, MJ," Jimmy stammered.

"Later guys!" she said before turning and walking down the street.

"Later, MJ!" Eddie called back as he and Richie joined them, "Come on guys we got to go get Virgil remember?"

At that, Eddie turned on his heel and started walking in the opposite direction that MJ had gone, Richie following while Peter and Jimmy lagged behind.

"Have a good day, dear," Aunt May called from the steps before she stepped back inside. Peter waved to her in reply.

"Man, how do you do it?" Jimmy asked as they walked along.

"Do what?" Peter asked.

"Talk to Mary Jane like that. I mean, no offence, but you're one of the biggest nerds in school and she's on of the most popular girls around. Most girls like her wouldn't give guys like us the time of day."

"Well that's easy; I've known MJ my whole life. I know her better than just about everyone. Heck, she's like the sister I never had."

"That's just great, you're friends with the prettiest girl in school, and you see her as a sibling while I'm stuck on the sidelines blabbering like an idiot."

"Well Jimmy, it's like they say. That's the way the cookie crumbles."

_Hawkins Residence, Metropolis, NY_

A soft snoring came from the messy bed situated in an equally messy room. The gentle rising and falling of the sheets was enough to identify that someone was sleeping with in the cocoon of blankets. Slowly, a figure sneaked across the room, tip-toeing and making sure to avoid squeaky floorboards and other obstacles. Silently the figure loomed over the sleeping person's form, preparing to strike.

"Wakey, Wakey, V!" the figure shouted.

"Wha-!" was all the sleeping form managed before a pillow connected with the general vicinity of his head. The first strike was quickly followed by more as the person in bed threw off the covers, revealing an African-American male, roughly 16 years old, with a skinny frame and dreadlocks, dressed in a wife beater and boxer shorts.

The young man stared daggers at the figure standing in front of him, another African-American with bleached blond hair in a crew cut style. He looked slightly younger, apparently 15 and wore a white t-shirt and khakis. He smiled wickedly at the other boy, before whirling around and dashing out of the room, the other boy right behind him. As they ran down the hall, they almost ran into a young African-American woman, apparently in her early twenties. She wore a pink robe and had her hair done up in pig tails. As the boys passed her, she immediately reached out and grabbed both of them by the ears.

"What do you two think your doing?" she asked, with an annoyed expression.

"Hey, Sharon, Evan started it. OUCH!" the boy with the dreads replied as she twisted his ear.

"That's not what I asked, Virgil," she said calmly.

"Sorry sis, I was just trying to wake V up and OW!" Evan tried to explain.

"Well you almost woke up the whole neighborhood with the racket you were making, baby brother," she retorted as she twisted his ear.

"Sharon," said a deep voice from behind them.

Turning she found an African-American man standing behind her. He appeared to be in his late thirties, with a crew cut hair style and a small mustache, with glasses perched on the end of his nose. He wore a white button down shirt and brown pants.

"I think that's enough," he said, sternly.

"But Daddy…" Sharon whined in response.

"No buts Sharon, let them go. We all have to hurry if we're not going to be late."

"Okay," she said reluctantly before letting the two boys go.

"Thanks Pops," Virgil said while rubbing his ear.

"Don't thank me yet, son" his father replied, "if you don't hurry, you're going to be late for school."

Looking over his shoulder at a nearby clock, Virgil realized how late it was, before whirling around and darting back into his room.

_A few minutes later,_

_Ding-dong!_

The tone of the doorbell rang through the house, prompting Mr. Hawkins to head to the door to answer it. However, his sons suddenly leaped in front of him and headed for the door. Virgil now dressed in a purple and yellow shirt and red pants. Both had there backpacks slung over there backs and pieces of toast in there hands. Evan had a skateboard tucked under his arm.

"That's the guys, we'll see you later, Pops," Virgil said as he reached for the door. As he was about to grab the knob however, his finger was zapped by a bolt of static electricity. Yanking his hand back, he yelped in pain as his brother laughed.

"What's the matter, V? You get zapped?" Evan joked.

"Dang! Why can't we have hardwood floors?" he asked as Evan opened the door, revealing Peter waiting for them.

"Hey! Good morning, Evan," he greeted with a smile.

"Yo, what's up Double P? Come on we got to boogie if were going to make it to school on time," Evan said as he ran past Peter, leaped off the stairs leading to his house and onto his skateboard in one fluid motion, before he began to coast down the street.

"Boogie?" Peter repeated questioningly as Virgil stepped through the door.

"Yeah, well you know Evan. He's different," Virgil stated off-handedly.

"You can say that again," Peter replied as he descended the stairs.

"Hey! You guys coming or what?" Eddie shouted from down the street where he and the others were.

"Come on Pete, we got to 'boogie'" Virgil said as he ran to catch up with the others, Peter laughing behind him.

_Reeves Public High School, Metropolis_

The sun shown brightly upon the brick and concrete school building. Teenagers chatted happily outside the building as they prepared for the day's lessons. Two in particular were sitting on the steps of the schools front entrance. Both were African American and appeared to be around 15 years of age. One had short, curly hair and wore a green long sleeve shirt and brown cargo pants. The other had a small afro and wore a red and yellow shirt and blue jeans. They both had skateboards with them. They were so busy talking that they failed to notice Evan ride up to them on his own skateboard.

"Well if it isn't Hobie and Robbie," Evan said with a smile as he skated up, "How you guys doing?"

"What up, Evan?" asked the one with an afro said.

"Not much, Rob. Just another day of school," Evan replied with a shrug.

"You can say that again," the other, Hobie, said.

"Ah, you guys are making me depressed and we only just got here!" Eddie lamented as he walked up with the others.

"Sorry Eds, it just, how can you get excited about school?" Evan asked as he sat on the stairs with his friends.

"Come on guys, the days just started. I already got a feeling today will be a great day!" Peter said with a beaming smile.

"Hey look, it's Puny Parker and his dweeb friends!" shouted a gruff, malicious voice from behind Peter. The smile immediately fell from his face and was replaced with a despairing frown.

"You were saying?" Virgil asked.

"Me and my big mouth," Peter said with a sigh.

Turning around, Peter found a large boy about his own age standing behind him. He had blonde hair and blue eyes along with a strong, athletic physique. He wore jeans and a red letterman jacket over a white t-shirt. He was surrounded by a handful of other boys of his size or larger, each with a letterman jacket of their own.

"Hello, Flash," Peter mumbled.

"Ah, Parker. And here I thought I had missed you but looks like I lucked out," he said with a sinister smile, before shoving Peter roughly, causing him too fall over, "Oops."

"Hey!" Eddie shouted as he marched towards Flash, but he was intercepted by one of Flash's friends who shoved him roughly backwards. Virgil caught Eddie as he stumbled back and helped steady him. Eddie regained his footing and both he and Virgil glared at the jock with his fists clenched.

"Well, looks like Puny Parker's friends want a piece of the action," Flash said before grabbing Virgil's shirt and pulling up to his face, "Am I right, Hawkins?"

"He man, lay off!" Evan shouted.

"Lookie here," Flash said with a wicked grin, "Blondie's trying to stick up for his big brother. How sweet."

At that, he tossed Virgil to the side and stalked towards Evan. Stopping about a foot in front of the smaller boy, Flash eyed him dangerously.

"Nice board, mind if I borrow it?" Flash sneered before snatching Evan's skateboard away.

"Hey!" Evan shouted as he leapt at Flash, but the jock shoved him in the chest and sent him reeling back, crashing into the stairs.

"Give that back to him!' Hobie shouted as he made a move towards Flash, but was stopped by the other jocks.

"Who's going to make me, you Hobs?" Flash said with a sneer.

"Hey Flash, I think that's enough, man. Give it back before a teacher shows up or something," said one of the other jocks. He was larger than Flash in both high and girth. He had a bald head with a small, brown beard and brown eyes. He wore a pair of cargo pants and a letterman jacket.

"Jeez, Kong would you grow a pair already? There aren't any teachers around, so who would stop us?" Flash asked with a smirk.

"How about me?" asked a new voice to Flash's right.

"What do you want, Osborn?" Flash asked with narrowed eyes. Standing a few feet away was a boy about their age. He had wavy brown hair and brown eyes, dressed in an expensive looking jacket and pants.

"What I want is for you and your bone head lackeys to leave my friends alone," he replied with a cold, even voice.

"What if I don't? You going to have your dad going to fire my dad?" Flash asked mockingly.

"No, but I bet the principle would love to see this picture of you and a couple of friends celebrating after a game," Harry said as he pulled out a cell phone and flipped it open, revealing a picture of Flash and some of the other jocks under a set of bleachers drinking from bottles in brown paper bags.

"Now I'm no expert but that don't look like soda pop to me Flash," Harry said with a smile.

"How did you get that?" Flash demanded, a slight hint of fear in his voice.

"Well Flash, money may not be able to buy you happiness, but it can get you someone to dig up dirt on a person you don't particularly like," he replied, "So why don't you give Evan his board back and we'll call it a day, okay?"

Flash growled angrily before shoving the skateboard back into Evan's hands and stomping away, the other jocks following close behind.

"You win this round, Osborn," he muttered as he entered the school.

"Hey, thanks Harry," Peter said as he came over and placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"No problem, Pete," Harry replied happily.

"Did you really have someone follow Flash around like you said?" Richie asked.

"Yeah, just for that night. P.I.s are pretty expensive but it's nothing my dad won't miss," Harry explained with shrug.

"Man, you rock Oz," beamed Evan.

"Hey," Harry said as he made his way into the building along with the others, "What are friends for?"

_Meanwhile, inside the school_

A small boy of about 15, scurried through the halls of the school, heading towards his locker. He had short spiky brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a blue tee-shirt and brown slacks with a green backpack on his back. His eyes continually shifted from side to side as if he was looking for someone. Reaching his locker, the small boy let out a sigh before he began to input the combination. Suddenly, he felt as if someone was looming over him.

Turning around, he found a tall, muscular boy standing behind him. He appeared slightly older and wore a red tee-shirt and brown slacks that hung so low on his waist that the top of his white boxers could be seen. The boy had green eyes and his hair was red with yellow highlights and was spiked up so it resembled fire. He also had a small goatee of red hair.

"Hello Garfield," he said with a grin, before he suddenly shoved the smaller boy against a locker and held him there by pressing his forearm against his throat.

"Hey, Francis," Garfield managed to choke out.

"I told you before, you worthless pile of shit, the name's F-Stop," he replied with a glare.

"Right, got ya," Garfield replied, weakly giving the larger boy a thumbs up.

"Good, now hows about you give me all the money you got on you?" F-Stop asked with an evil grin.

"Come on, dude," Garfield wined "Really?"

"Ya, really, now fork it over, shrimp, before I­-" F-Stop was cut off when he suddenly felt hands grab his shoulders and whirl him around, slamming him into a locker on the other side of the hall.

Standing before F-Stop was a tall, muscular African-American boy about his age. He had a bald head and dark brown eyes and wore a white sweatshirt and jeans. His fists were clenched and his face was scrunched in a look of rage as he glared at F-Stop.

"You okay Gar?" the boy asked, not taking his eyes off of F-Stop.

"Yeah, thanks Vic," Garfield replied.

"No problem, little buddy," Vic replied, "And as for you, you worthless piece of trash, if I ever catch you doing anything like this again I'll-"

"You'll what, Victor?" asked a new voice to Vic's right.

Turning, Victor faced the source of the voice, finding a group of people his own age standing nearby. Standing before him was a group of roughly 15 boys and girls. One appearing to be the leader of the group, stood in front of the rest. He was African-American of about 17 and had an athletic build, though he was not as big as Vic. He wore his brown hair in corn rows and wore a purple vest over a black t-shirt and grey slacks. Next to him stood another boy that closely resembled him, though slightly younger. He wore a purple button-down shirt and white slacks with a white baseball cap worn backwards and covering his short, black hair. On the leader's other side was a Latin-American girl with green eyes and reddish brown hair in a ponytail. She wore a pink top that looped around her neck and left her midriff exposed and a pair of tight, blue jeans. Behind him was a stout African-American boy who wore a black ski cap, black leather jacket and jeans. Another was around the same size but wore a white bandanna and yellow shirt with white slacks. Three other African-American boys stood in back, each larger than Vic and dressed in different colored tank tops and pants.

Near the middle of the group were three skinny boys, each of them Caucasian. One had greasy brown hair and green eyes and wore a black hoodie and ripped jeans. The boy standing to his right had messy red hair and green eyes and wore a black muscle shirt and brown slacks. The last boy had spiky purple hair and brown eyes and wore a red jacket over a white t-shirt and purple pants. Behind them stood a tall, African-American boy with his black hair done in dreads under a black ski cap. He wore a red shirt under a black trench coat along with jeans, combat boots and sunglasses. Next to him stood an African-American girl with curly black hair done up in two pig tails. She wore a white long sleeved shirt and purple pants. Finally, a large, obese African-American boy stood with the group, wearing a backwards, purple baseball cap, purple shirt and jeans.

"You know what I'd do, Ivan," Vic snarled at the leader of the group.

"Your right," Ivan said while taking a step forward as the rest of his group hung back, "I know exactly what you'd do, Sports Star. And I can't let you go around doing that to one of my people. You understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Yeah, I understand exactly what you're trying to say, Ivan." Vic said, his fist clenched at his sides as he surveyed the group before him. Suddenly, the school bell rang and the tension seemed to break. Looking over his shoulder, Ivan smiled before making a motion towards his gang, causing them all, including F-Stop to follow him as he walked away.

"Well, I guess we'll see you and your charity case later, Sports Star," Ivan said looking over his shoulder, "And remember we own this school, big man. So it don't matter if you're the captain of the football or a loser like you're so called friend there, you're all still walking in my shadow." With that Ivan turned and walked away, his gang following him. Vic glared at Ivan walked away, barely noticing Gar walk up next to him.

"You okay Vic?" the smaller boy asked tentatively.

"No, I'm not Gar. Because I know he's right. He owns this school. He and his gang bully, extort and deal all around the area, and there's nothing the teachers can do about it. Despite what Metropolis looks like on the outside, the gangs rule the streets here and Ivan's got connections to them. You cross him and you're as good as done. Jerks like Flash Thompson can't even compare to him, he's in a whole other league. Guys like Flash and even Francis are just bullies but he's a full on criminal. He knows I want to punch his face in but I can't, because I'm afraid of what he'll do in return. So he rubs my face in it," Vic stated with a sigh.

"Hey come on dude, it's not all that bad," Gar said with a pleading look on his face.

Vic sighed again before a smile crossed his face, "You always were a bit of an optimist, weren't you Gar?"

Gar just shrugged nonchalantly, "You know me,"

"Ya I do, so I don't have to tell you to avoid Francis and to especially avoid Ivan. They're bad news little buddy and I can't always be there to bail you out, got it?"

"Yeah, I hear you," Gar replied.

"Good, then I'll see you after classes today. I'll meet you in the parking lot than we can head over to the lab."

"Okay. I heard that Uncle Hank's got something exciting to show us," Gar said with a gleam in his eye.

"Well in that case I'll wear my pajamas because nothing puts me to sleep faster than what your uncle calls exciting!" Vic said with a laugh before turning and walking in the opposite direction of Gar.

_Meanwhile, just outside Oscorp Headquarters,_

A sleek limousine pulled up to a large factory in the industrial sector of Metropolis, not far from the high school. Across the top of the front doors was the words Oscorp Research Center. Exiting the limousine was a man dressed in a black business suit with wavy brown hair and brown eyes. He walked up the front stairs of the building while talking on a cell phone. He was flanked on both sides by assistants who occasionally showed him papers or whispered something to him.

"Of course General Eiling we'll have the formula ready for you by the time you get here. We just need to run a few more tests today but we'll have the first batch ready for you upon your arrival…Yes, I look forward to meeting with you too…thank you General, goodbye."

Hanging up his cell phone, the man put it into his pocket as he continued down the hallway.

"Can someone tell me where Octavius is?" he barked to the assistance surrounding him.

"Right over there, Mr. Osborn," one of them said pointing to a middle-aged, stout man dressed in a white button down shirt, brown slacks and a lab coat. He had a brown bowl cut and wore glasses over his brown eyes. He stood in the hallway conversing with a women about his age dressed in a white blouse, brown skirt and a lab coat as well. She had her long, auburn hair done up in a ponytail and had light green eyes.

"Otto, just the man I wanted to see," Osborn said as he walked up with a smile on his face, shooing his assistants away.

"Good to see you this morning, Norman," Otto replied with a smile of his own.

"And how are you doing today Mrs. Octavious?" Norman asked the woman.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking Mr. Osborn," she replied.

"Please, call me Norman, Rosie," he stated with a smirk.

"Alright. Now, what can my husband do for you today?"

"I was just coming by to make sure that Otto runs those tests for our demonstration tomorrow."

"Of course Norman," Otto replied, "Dr. Stromm and I need to run one more test this evening and we'll have the serum ready for the test subject General Eiling plans to bring along. I understand he's quite the specimen."

"The best the military had to offer. Who knows doctor, you might very well have a hand in creating the new Captain America if this goes right," Norman said as he turned to walk away, "Well, see that those experiments get done, Otto and I'll see you this evening."

"Yes, of course, Mr. Osborn," Otto answered. As Otto watched him go, he caught sight of another man walking by. Turning to Rosie, he told her he would see her later and walked after the man. Otto caught up with the man just before he entered one of the facility's many labs.

"Victor!" he called out, grabbing the man's shoulder and turning him around. He was a tall skinny man around Otto's age. He had a bald head and sunken, blue eyes. He wore a lab coat over a button up shirt and brown slacks. Dark circles surround his eyes and slumped shoulders suggested a large amount of fatigue.

"Oh, hello Otto," he replied in a quite voice, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you before,"

"It's alright my friend, you're mind seemed to be elsewhere," Otto paused as his face took on a more serious look, "How is she, Victor?"

A pained look quickly passed across Victor's face before it resigned itself to an even more tired look.

"Nora's condition is stable…but there is still no sign of a cure," he said, dejectedly.

Sensing his friend sadness, Otto placed his hands on both of Victor's shoulders and force Victor to look him in the eye.

"Listen to me Victor," he said firmly, "You can't give up. After this project I'm working on is done Rosie and I are diving headfirst into finding a cure for this disease. You can count on me Victor. We're going to find a cure. We're going to save her."

Victor's face seemed to light up as a grateful smile crossed his face.

"Th-thank you, Otto. You're right it-it was foolish of me to lose hope so easily. You've always been such a good friend to me."

"Think nothing of it Victor. Just remember to name yours and Nora's first child after me."

"Of course," Victor said with a laugh.

"Good I will see you later then," Otto said before turning and walking down the corridor and out of sight. Still smiling, Victor turned and through the doors into the lab after grabbing a white winter jacket and putting it on. A sign above the door read "Cryogenics"

The lab was dominated by four large open tanks which held a blue liquid with a mist-like gas floating from it. Victor walked on a catwalk above the tanks, leading to a lab station that sat on an outcropping on the other side of the tanks. Beakers filled with similar blue liquid sat on a table surrounded by equipment while multiple computer screens showed different readings of the different tanks. Large steel doors leading to refrigerated rooms sat in the walls behind the computers.

Victor walked up to one of the computers and typed a few commands into it. Suddenly, there was a loud hissing sound before Victor stood up and pulled on an unseen lever behind the computers. There was an even louder hissing sound as the computer station and the wall behind it slid to the side revealing a hidden refrigerated room.

Victor had told Osborn that the room was faulty and the man had it sealed over and more computer equipment installed. Then he and Otto reactivated the room and installed the moving door and brought the room back online, while disguising the energy it used, to keep it hidden. All to save his beloved. Within the room was a tank full of the same blue liquid as in the larger tanks. Within it was a beautiful woman of Victor's age, with flowing white hair and wearing a long, simple white dress. Panels on the tank showed different readings of the tank and its occupant.

"Good morning Nora," Victor whispered as he placed his hand reverently against the glass, "I have good news. Otto's going to be joining me in my research to help save you. I'm so close to a cure that I just know with his help will find it. He's been such a good friend to me, I'll never be able to thank him. There's a problem through. We're going to have to name our son Otto."

Victor laughed quietly as he rested his forehead against the cold glass.

_Meanwhile,_

Otto walked through the hallways from the cryogenics lab until he came to a door marked "Lounge". Pushing the door open, he entered a large carpeted room. A kitchenette sat in one corner and a group of couches in another. A table surrounded by chairs sat in the middle and a TV hung on the same wall the door was in.

A number of scientists mingled around the room. Sitting at the table was a group of such scientists conversing with each other. One was a man around Otto's age, with short brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a lab coat over a purple shirt and brown slacks. Next to him sat another man with brown hair and eyes. He wore a blue sweater and brown pants under his lab coat. He also had noticeably large hands and feet and a large muscular build and appeared to be in his 30's. Next to him was a woman around his age with the same brown eyes and auburn hair down to the base of her neck. She wore a white blouse and a brown skirt. Next to her sat a tall, skinny man with black hair and blue eyes, wearing a white button up shirt and black slacks. Across from him sat an African-American man in his middle ages. He had graying black hair and wore a gray shirt and green pants under his lab coat. Next to him sat an African-American woman with curly brown hair and wore a blue blouse and a purple skirt along with her lab coat.

"Good morning everyone," Otto said cheerfully as he took an empty seat at the table.

"And a good morning to you too, Otto. How are you today?"

"I'm fine Curt, how's you are those experiments with the lizards going?"

"Great, we've made some remarkable discoveries in their cellular regeneration and we're going to be beginning new experiments on them soon to hopefully find the mechanism behind it."

"As you can see, Otto," the Caucasian woman said with a laugh, "Curt is very excited about his work,"

"Maybe a bit too excited," the skinny man next to her said.

"Well I should be excited, Glen, do you realize what this could mean? We could regenerate lost limbs, heal tissue damage, even cure blindness!"

"All right, all right Curt," the man with the large hands said, "I'm sure Glen didn't mean to sound like he was belittling you're work, didn't you Glen?"

"Yes, didn't you Glen?" the woman next to him asked, giving him a questioning look.

"Yes Julie, Hank's right, I didn't mean anything by what I said to Curt," Glen said quickly.

"Always good to have your sister to back you up, huh Hank?" Otto asked with a chuckle.

"I do say it provides for some definite advantages. Speaking of family, when's my nephew stopping by?"

"Garfield and Victor are coming by after school Hank," Julie said.

"Good, I have something I want to show them both."

"If you manage to keep my son awake that is, Hank," the African-American woman said with a smirk.

"Come now, Beth, your son is as smart as they come. I know I can be dry at times but I'm sure he'll be interested in what I have to show him." Hank argued.

"Last time I checked my son was only interested in it if it got 20 miles to the gallon or earned him 6 points," the man sitting next to Beth said.

"Please Frank, your son is a very bright boy and-" Hank was cut off however when Julie got up and forced him out of his chair before she began shooing him out of the break room, Curt and Glen following behind.

"Yes, big brother I'm sure you could sit here and prattle on about Victor all day but we have work to do," she said with a grin.

"Um…right, I'll see you all later then?" Hank asked the remaining scientists.

"Yes of course Hank, good day," Otto replied with a jovial grin and a wave.

Julie continued to push Hank down the hall after they had left the room, before he turned around and brushed them away.

"Alright, alright! I know the way to the laboratory," he said with a huff before he continued walking down the hall.

As they walked, a young woman came around the corner. She was dressed in a green blouse and black skirt under her lab coat. She had messy red hair and green eyes that were hidden behind a pair of large glasses. She kept her head down as she walked looking at the papers she was cradling in her arms.

"Good morning Pamela," Hank said as he continued walking.

"Oh!' she said with a start, nearly dropping her papers, "Good morning to you too, Dr. McCoy."

"Please my dear, call me Hank, everyone does," he replied with a smile, "Are you still working on that new serum for better fertilizer?"

"Y-yes I am, it's coming along quite nicely actually," she said with a shy smile.

"Splendid! I myself am-" Hank was interrupted again as his sister started pushing him down the hall.

"Really," she said, "you have this nasty habit of having to talk to everyone you meet. It's going to get you into trouble one day, big brother. Have a good day Pamela."

Pamela smiled as she watched the little woman push Hank down the hall, before she turned and enter a door marked "Botany".

Inside the room was steaming hot and the lights were dimmed except for the sun lamps that sat above the various plants scattered around the lab. Sitting by one of the table, looking through a microscope was an older man, apparently in his early sixties. He had curly auburn hair and brown eyes. He wore a white button shirt and brown slacks under his lab coat and gold wire glasses in front of his eyes.

Another man stood in another part of the lab, examining one of the many plants. He appeared to be in his thirties and had an average build. He wore a grey shirt and jeans under his lab coat.

"Good morning, Dr. Woodrue, Dr. Holland," Pamela greeted cheerfully.

"Morning, Dr. Isley," Dr. Holland replied happily.

Dr. Woodrue, merely grunted in response, not looking up from his microscope.

Walking up behind Holland, Pamela looked over his shoulder at the experiment he was performing.

"How's the formula going?" she asked.

Turning to face her, he smiled, "Coming along great Pam, we'll be ready to experiment soon."

"We'd be ready to experiment now if you didn't screw up the first batch," Woodrue said icily from across the room.

"Well if your formula didn't have those side effects, yes we would" Holland replied as Pamela shrunk behind him.

"I keep telling you boy, there was a factor in the experiment you weren't attributing for. There's nothing wrong with my formula."

"Right, just tell Osborn that after we show him the plants that strangled themselves."

Woodrue looked like he was about to say something, but he instead turned around abruptly and stomped out of the room without a second word.

"Alec," Pamela said hesitantly, "is he…?"

"He'll be fine, just an old man with wounded pride. He'll sulk for a bit, then get bored and come back and work," he explained, before turning to grin at Pamela, "so where were we?"

_Meanwhile, in downtown Metropolis_

"Come on Uncle Barry, you're going to be late!" a teenaged boy said from the passenger seat of a car moving through downtown traffic. The boy appeared about 15 years of age, with a stock of bright red hair and green eyes. He had a very skinny build and wore a bright yellow t-shirt and jeans.

He was talking to the man driving the car. He appeared to be in his late twenties with blond hair and light blue eyes. He wore a green button up shirt and brown slacks over his skinny build.

"I know Wally, I know," Barry said with a slightly exasperated voice, "This is my first time in Metropolis, I didn't realize the traffic would be so bad. We're almost there though."

"Well, you wouldn't have had to worry about the traffic as much if you hadn't slept in," Wally replied with a smirk.

"Why did I bring you with me again?" Barry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My school's off for a week and Aunt Iris thought it would be a good idea to see you work and to check out Metropolis," Wally said nonchalantly.

"Right," Barry replied, before pulling the car off the road and into an underground parking garage, "well we're here."

Barry parked the car in a spot before he and Wally got out and walked up the stairs to the main part of the building. As they exited the stairway they came into the main foyer of the complex. A large wooden desk sat directly across the glass doors leading into the building. The front desk was flanked by two doors leading further into the building. On the floor between the doors and desk was a seal. On the seal was the picture of a shield circled by the words "Metropolis Police Department."

Barry walked up to the desk to speak with the receptionist, a red headed woman in a blue police uniform.

"Um, hi," he greeted nervously.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked in a nasally voice.

"Yeah, I'm Barry Allen from the Central City Crime Lab, here on a special assignment."

The woman looked at him closely, "You realize you were supposed to be here an hour ago?"

"Uh…yeah, sorry, traffic and all that," Barry explained while scratching the back of his head as a nervous gesture.

"And whose he?" the receptionist asked, indicating to Wally.

"This is my nephew, Wally West. He's here to watch and learn. The paperwork should already be here," Barry explained.

"Yup here it is," the woman stated before handing them both visitors badges, "You are to wear these at all times. The boy is too be with you at all times except in the autopsy room and he's not allowed to touch anything. Are we clear?"

"Crystal ma'am," Wally answered with a smile as he put on the name badge.

"All right then, just enter the door on your left and take the second door on you right."

"Thanks," Barry said before leading Wally to the door, "Just stick close to me Wally and everything will be fine. I think this is already shaping up to be a great day."

_Later, that afternoon,_

"Man today blows," Gar complained as school let out for the day. He was walking down the stairs with the rest of his friends around him. "I can't believe, Mr. Moore wants us to write a 10 page book report for Friday, plus I have a chemistry test of Thursday. I'll be lucky if I sleep at all tonight."

"Relax Gar, its not that bad," Peter said from his side.

"Easy for you to say Pete, you've got a brain the size of a small planet," Virgil joked, "not everyone's the next Einstein so please, have some sympathy."

Peter laughed, "Well if you're having so much trouble, you could always just ask me for help,"

"Thanks Pete, but me and Gar have to get to Oscorp to meet up with our folks," Vic explained, gesturing towards the parking lot, "You need a ride, Harry?"

"Nah, I'm just going to head home, I don't live that far from here and it's in the opposite direction of Oscorp anyway."

"You sure Harry?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about me you guys," he said as he began to walk away, waving to them as left, "See you later!"

"Later Harry!" Vic bellowed after him then he turned towards Gar, "We better be moving on too, little buddy."

"Yeah, okay," Gar said before turning to the rest of his friends, "See you tomorrow guys!" With that, the two boys walked off in the direction of the school parking lot.

"Later!" Eddie shouted after them, before turning back to his friends, "Well, my good gentlemen, what are our plans for this fine afternoon?"

"Me, Richie and Evan have got to go help Pops with the Center downtown, so our afternoon is pretty much shot," Virgil explained, while Evan nodded in confirmation.

"I was planning on studying in the library for the physics test tomorrow, if any of you care to join me," Peter stated.

"Well, that's all well and good but I'm not sure everyone's willing to spend the afternoon studying with you in that torture room they call a library," Jimmy remarked.

"We are," a voice said from behind Eddie.

Turning around, Eddie found MJ standing behind him with another girl. She was a pretty girl about their age, with blue eyes and blonde hair flowing down her back. She wore a black, leather jacket over a green shirt and blue jeans.

"Oh! A-Ah H-hey G-G-Gwen!" Eddie responded as a blush grew across his face.

"Hi yourself," Gwen responded cheerfully. Virgil and Richie merely shook there heads in amusement

"Me and Gwen here were going to go study with Pete to get ready for our physics test tomorrow," MJ explained.

"Well when we say "study" we mean drain that big brain of his for all available knowledge," Gwen joked.

"Thanks, I feel so appreciated" Peter laughed, "So would you guys like to join us?"

Both Eddie and Jimmy nodded dumbly, blushed covering there faces.

"That's great!," MJ said before she and the others headed towards the library, "See you later, guys!"

"Later MJ!" Evan called back, before turning to his brother, "Come on V, we better get to the center."

With that Evan whipped out his skateboard and hopped on, heading off for home.

"Come on V-man, we're going to have to run if we want to keep up with," Richie said as he ran off in the direction Evan went.

"Who says I want to keep up with him!?!" Virgil called back, but when he got no answer he sighed to himself and ran after his friend.

Evan glided down the street towards his home, periodically pushing his board along with his foot. Taking a corner, he took a sharp turn…and ran smack into the back of a much larger person. The impact sent Evan flying to the ground, his skateboard kicking out from under him.

"Hey! Watch it runt!" the person shouted as he turned around. Looking up, Evan recognized the guy as one of the gang bangers at school, one of Ivan's boys. Looking past the large teenager, Evan could see the rest of the gang crowded around an alley opening.

Reaching down, the boy reached down and grabbed Evan, yanking him to his feet.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" he snarled putting his face right in Evan's.

"Yo, sorry man I didn't see you, it was an accident," Evan said quickly, trying to calm the larger boy down.

"Rock, what's going on?" asked a voice from the alley. The group separated, revealing Ivan walking towards Rock and Evan.

"This bitch ran into me, Ivan." Rock explained.

"That it? Let the man go and try growing a pair, Ro-" Ivan cut himself off when he caught sight of who Rock was holding, "Well, well, well. Who do we have here? Look everyone, it's one of Sport Stars charity cases."

Right then, Virgil and Richie ran around the corner, stopping dead in their tracks at the sight of the gang members.

"Well, it looks like it's my lucky day," Ivan quipped, before turning to Rock, "Rock?"

The large teenager smiled before he shoved Evan at the other two. Virgil quickly caught his stumbling brother.

"Hey man, chill we don't want any trouble," Virgil pleaded, still grasping his brother.

"That's too bad, because it looks like you just found it," Ivan snarled, a sinister smile crossing his face.

"Hey, check me out yo!" one of the gang members shouted out, drawing everyone's attention. He was a Caucasian boy with a black hoodie and ripped jeans and he was currently balancing on Evan's skateboard, balancing it shakily on its back wheels, "I'm a regular skater boy, yo"

"Hey, get off my board!" Evan shouted, shaking off Virgil and stepping forward threateningly.

"Who's going to make me?" the boy mocked as he flipped the board into his hands, "You, bitch?"

Evan jumped forward with an angry shout. Before anyone could stop him, he ran up to the boy and socked him in the jaw, sending the ganger member to fall to the ground and dropping the board.

One of the other gang members, just as large as Rock, laughed, "Man, Tolansky you're such a little bitch. But we can't have punks like this guy beating up members of our crew. It'll mess up our rep." The large boy walked calmly up to Evan, before punching Evan in the gut. Evan crumbled to the ground, holding his hands to his stomach. He grabbed onto Evan's hair and pulled his head back, before he punched him in the face, sending Evan sprawling.

"Evan!" Virgil cried as he rushed to help his brother's aid, but as moved towards the group, Ivan punched him in the stomach, causing Virgil to reel back.

"Virgil!" Richie shouted, but before he could do anything, F-Stop stepped out of the crowed and struck Richie in the face. Richie stumbled against the wall, his hands clasped around his nose as blood poured out of it.

"Rock, grab his punkass!" Ivan ordered, pointing at Virgil. Rock grinned before he grabbed Virgil and held him up, his large arms locking Virgil's behind his head. Ivan then turned to F-Stop, who had taken the time to kick Richie in the gut.

"Yo, F-Stop," Ivan said, catching the other teens attention, "Hows about we show Sports Star a lesson? This is one of his boys after all."

F-Stop's smile became sadistic, "Sounds like a good idea to me," he snarled, walking up to Virgil while cracking his knuckles. To his side, Virgil could see another gang member, this one stout with a purple bandana; kick Evan in the gut, causing the boy to let out a cry of pain. Virgil was quickly distracted, however, when F-Stop's fist connected with his gut. All the air rushed out of Virgil's lungs and he slumped down, held up by Rock. Before he could recover, F-Stop struck him twice across the face with his fists, sending Virgil's world spinning.

Behind him, a Caucasian boy with spiky purple hair and a red jacket walked up to the prone Evan. Kneeling down he pulled a switchblade out of his pocket and brought it up to Evan's face.

"Hey did you know that the organ that keeps you balanced is in your ear? Crazy huh!?! Let's see how well you ride that board with only one."

The gang member brought the blade up to slice of Evan's ear when he was stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw the boy who looked a lot like Ivan.

"That's enough, man, we made our point," he said, sternly.

"Come on Adam, you're not going soft on us are you?" the boy asked with a grin.

"No, but I do know we don't need the cops breathing down are necks because we murdered some punk," Adam explained.

"My brother's got a point," Ivan said, before turning back to F-Stop who was still beating on Virgil, "All right F-Stop that's enough, let's pack it up." With that, F-Stop nodded and stopped hitting Virgil, while Rock dropped him unceremoniously to the ground. The rest of the gang grouped up before they headed down the street, joking and laughing while the three boys lay broken on the concrete.

Slowly, Evan pushed himself off the ground, moaning in pain from his soar ribs. He looked around and saw Richie starting to stir as well, blood still flowing out of his nose. Glancing around, he quickly noticed that his skateboard was gone. This thought left his mind however when he saw his brother sprawled in the middle of the sidewalk, barely moving.

"Virgil!" he shouted, as he forced himself to his feet and limped over to his brother. Richie was woken from his daze by the shout and moved to help Virgil.

"Virgil, are you all right, man!?!" Richie asked hesitantly. Virgil could only moan quietly in response.

"Come on Richie, help me get him up," Evan said, lifting one of Virgil's arms over his shoulder, "We have to get him to a hospital."

Richie nodded in response, before slinging Virgil's other arm over his shoulders and lifting him up with Evan.

"So where's the nearest hospital?" Richie asked.

"I'm not sure, where somewhere near the industrial sector. Let's just see if we can't wave someone down to take us to the hospital," Evan said, to which Richie nodded and began to half-drag, half-carry Virgil down the sidewalk.

_Meanwhile,_

On the other side of Metropolis, was built a skyscraper which soared above the rest. A monstrous creation of steel in glass, on the front of the building was the symbol of a large "L" under which was the name "LexCorp". At the top of the skyscraper was a single large office, obviously reserved for someone of high importance. The office was largely devoid of furniture. A pair of couches flanked the entrance way to the office. A red carpet led from the door to the other side of the room, which was raised slightly above the other half. In the center of this raised area was a large desk, facing the door with a large window overlooking the city behind the desk. Upon the desk was an advanced, expensive looking computer.

Behind the desk, in a large plush chair, sat a man. He was Caucasian, with dark brown eyes and a completely bald head. He wore an expensive-looking business suit over his thin frame. Leaning towards the computer screen, he steepled his fingers together in front of his face.

"You understand my need for secrecy in this matter?" the man asked, seemingly addressing the computer.

"Of course Mr. Luthor, secrecy is something we specialize in," a deep voice replied from the computer. Upon the screen a video chat was opened, displaying an incredibly obese man with green eyes and an equally bald head. He wore an expensive white business suit over his massive body and appeared to be sitting in a chair much like Luthor's. The room the man sat in appeared pitch black; nothing could be seen behind him.

"I'm serious about this Fisk; there can be no traces back to me after this is done. Am I clear?" Luthor asked.

"Crystal, Mr. Luthor," Fisk said with a pleasant smile, "There is no need to worry as I have enlisted my top man for this. May I introduce to you, Mr. Jack Napier," At that, Fisk made a sweeping gesture as he turned in his chair, revealing a man standing behind him as he stepped into the light. The man had jet black hair and brown eyes with a wide-brimmed hat on his head. He wore a trench coat over dress pants and a button up shirt, over what appeared to be a strong, muscular frame. A group of other men could be seen behind him, hidden in the shadows of the room.

"Evening, Mr. Luthor" Jack said with a tip of his hat.

"Yes well I hope he's the best, I can't afford any screw ups," Luthor explained

"No need to worry, Mr. Luther," Jack said with smile, "We're the best that money can buy. So what is it that you need us to do?"

"As some of you may be aware, Oscorp is housing a demonstration for what they claim is a new Super Soldier formula."

"And you want us to do some good old corporate sabotage and make it all look like an accident, am I right?" Jack asked.

"Yes, that way, I can finish production on my own Super Soldier formula and get the government contract," Luthor explained further.

"Pretty sneaky, Mr. Luthor," Jack said with a laugh.

"I prefer cunning, Mr. Napier," Luthor replied with a smirk of his own.

"Well, if we're going to pull this off, me and my boys are going to have to know our way around the facility."

"Easily solved, Mr. Napier. I have already downloaded the schematics of the building and the codes required to move about it and sent them to Mr. Fisk's computer. This combined with the false ID badges and uniforms I had made for you will allow you to move around the complex virtually undetected."

Jack let out a low whistle in awe, "You come prepared Mr. Luthor." Jack pointed out with admiration.

"I pride myself on being one step ahead of my opponents, Mr. Napier."

"Well then, remind me never to get on your bad side," Jack replied with another chuckle, "Well then, if that's all we need, I guess me and the boys will gather our supplies and move out."

"Very well Jack, make sure it gets done," Fisk said, before his eyes narrowed dangerously, "and don't come back if it doesn't."

"You got it, boss," Jack said as he retreated back into the shadows, the other figures following him.

"Your payment has been sent to your account, Mr. Fisk," Luthor stated, eager to end the conversation, "Half now and half when the service is complete, are we at an agreement."

"Of course Mr. Luthor, the Kingpin always does good by his clients and I hope to work with you again in the near future," Fisk said with a grin.

"And I hope that will prove unnecessary. Good day, Mr. Fisk," Luthor said briskly

"Good day, Mr. Luthor," Fisk replied before the feed was cut.

Luthor leaned back in his chair, a feeling of exhaustion washing over him. Resting his head on the chair, he closed his eyes. The last few days had been stressful and he felt he earned a good rest. Slowly, Luthor felt his consciousness slipping away before sleep claimed him.

"Alexander Luthor," a dry, solemn voice called out from the darkness of Luthor's mind. Looking around, Luthor found himself standing in an endless black void. Suddenly, the figure of an old man in a cloak appeared in front of him. Reaching into his robes, the old man pulled out a large book and began flipping through it.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Luthor demanded, taking a step towards the old man.

"You have set in motion events that will ripple through out the cosmos," The old man stated, ignoring Luthor's question.

"What events? What are you talking about?" Luthor asked, getting continually more confused.

"Prepare for unforeseen consequences."

Luthor suddenly felt a presence. Looking up, he saw the figure of a large man hovering in the air above him. His fists were clenched and what looked like a cape trailed behind him. Suddenly, a lightning bolt jumped across the sky, illuminating the world around them…and allowing Luthor to catch a glimpse at what looked like the letter "S" on the man's chest. The world went dark again and now Luthor couldn't even see his hands in front of his face. But he could still hear the old man.

"Wake up Alexander Luthor. Wake up and smell the ashes."

Luthor's eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright. Leaping from his chair, he raced to the window…and found the world had changed.

A/N: So so so so sooooo sorry for the long delay of this chapter. I've been absolutely swamped with work from both school and getting ready for college. But some how I managed to squeak this chapter out for you all. Things are going to get interesting from here on out, as this is basically the beginning of the whole story, everything else being prologue.

Before anyone says anything, yes I'm not pairing Peter and MJ together. I've got nothing against the pairing and am as mad as the next guy about what happened with this One More Day crap, but I decided to go in a different direction for my story. Please don't kill me!

Bonus points to those who can name which characters are which. Note everyone in Ivan's gang comes from the same source except for one (and he's obvious). Most of these characters don't have given names and are usually only referred to as their code name (i.e. the character Rock's name is unknown in the source so I made it up).

More points to those who figure out which famous comic book movie actor and writer where referred to in the chapter. Also points to those who guess the next chapters title

In closing, happy holidays to all and I'll try to get the next chapter out A LOT quicker. Please review and feel free to point out any spelling and grammar mistakes I made. I don't mind.

Until Next Time, Later True Believers!


	12. The Storm

**Chapter 12: The Storm**

_Every human being on this earth is born with a tragedy, and it isn't original sin. He's born with the tragedy that he has to grow up. That he has to leave the nest, the security, and go out to do battle. He has to lose everything that is lovely and fight for a new loveliness of his own making, and it's a tragedy. A lot of people don't have the courage to do it. _

-Helen Hayes

_Oscorp Research Facility_

Outside the front entrance of the large research facility, a young woman could be seen walking up to the door. She had short spiky black hair and blue eyes. She wore a blue blouse and slacks and a black jacket. Walking up to the door, she was about to open it, when a hand shot out of nowhere and opened the door. Turning, she saw a black-haired man dressed in a custodian's uniform holding the door.

"After you, miss," he said with a large smile.

"Thank you," she replied before entering.

Still holding the door open, he made a small whistling sound, signaling three other men to come out of the shadows of the building. One had greased back black hair and wore sunglasses, despite it being night time. Another had wavy brown hair and blue eyes and appeared quite handsome. The final one was the biggest, with short brown hair and brown eyes. They all wore identical janitorial uniforms and had black duffel bags swung over their shoulders.

"After you, gents," Jack said with a smile, as the men file in, followed by Jack who closes the door behind him.

Walking up to the receptionist desk, the woman stopped to get a visitor's pass.

"Can I help you ma'am?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes I'm here to see someone," the woman replied.

"And who would that be, Ms…?"

"Lincoln. Louise Lincoln, I'm here to see Victor Friese, my brother-in-law."

"Ah yes, your on his visitors list," the receptionist said as she looked over a sheet of paper, "All your info checks out, so just put on your visitors pass and follow the signs to the cryogenics lab."

"Thank you," Louise replies before taking the badge and heading down the hall towards the labs.

As she walked, she neared a checkpoint consisting of a metal detector and an x-ray machine surrounded by armed guards. In front of her were Jack and his three accomplices.

"Step forward please," one of the guards said in a monotone voice, motioning towards Jack.

Jack smiled as he stepped forward, "Lot of security you guys got around here, why's there no check in at the other entrance?" he asked.

"Well, when you own the company, you can go through there too. Until then, you come through this entrance just like the rest of us." The guard responded.

"I like you, you're funny," Jack said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, whatever. Put your bag on the conveyer belt and step through the gate."

Jack did as he was told without another word, walking through the gate and collecting his bag on the other side without a fuss, as did his three cohorts.

"Hey boss?" the large thug asked, as they walked away "Why didn't that scanner pick up our supplies?"

Jack smiled as he reached into his bag and pulled out a small electronic device, "A little toy courtesy of our friend Mr. Luthor. Masks our equipment from the scanners. Luthor's a pretty smart guy, I'll give him that."

Turning a corner, they entered a room mark "Janitors". Inside the room was another man, dressed in a jumpsuit as well. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. Looking up, the man raised an eyebrow as the others filed in.

"Who the hell are you guys?" he asked.

"We're the new guys, first night you see," Jack explained smoothly, not a hint of unease in his voice.

"Alright, the name's Rudy Jones and I guess I'll be working with you guys. I was about to head out and start mopping the entrance way, whenever you guys are ready come and meet me out there and I'll show you the ropes."

"You got it, Rudy," Jack replied, giving him a thumbs up and a large smile.

"Whatever," Ruby replied before grabbing a mop and heading out the door.

As soon as Rudy left, Jack's grin turned sly as he put his bag on the table and opened it up. Reaching in, he pulled out an empty sub-machine gun, before pulling out a clip and loading it.

"All right boys, lock and load," Jack instructed. The other three pulled out similar guns before they began putting on black ski masks, as well as shedding there janitor jumpsuits, revealing black combat gear underneath.

"Ready boss?" one of the men asked.

"Yeah Eel, I'm ready" Jack said as he pulled a blood red ski mask over his head, "Let's bring the noise,"

Stepping up to the door, Jack opened it a crack and peaked through, looking at a video camera that was overlooking the hallway.

"Now if Luthor was telling the truth, and he hasn't let us down yet, the virus he said he was able to plant in their systems should knock out and start a feedback loop in their camera's right about…now!" As soon as he said that the light on the camera blinked off. Jack waited a few seconds before grinning.

"No alarms boys, they're blind. Looks like Luthor's a big a genius as they say he is." Jack said with a masked grin, "Remind me to buy a shit load of stock in Lexcorp after we get paid. For now lets make for the central lab and then we can-" Jack was cut off when he heard the sounds of someone approaching the room.

"Hey are you guys coming or wha-" The voice of Rudy Jones was interrupted when Jack slammed the door open and smashed it into his face. There was a gargled yelp of pain as his nose broke and he fell to the ground unconscious.

"Drag him inside," Jack ordered as he looked down at the unconscious man.

"Should we off him?" asked one of the guys.

"No man, the guy didn't see nothing," the largest man said concerned.

"Flint's right, we don't need to kill him, he's no one. We didn't come here to kill a janitor." Eel agreed.

"If you ladies are done here, lets go and do our job before someone else comes along," Jack stated. With that, they gathered up their stuff and headed out the door and down the hall.

_Meanwhile_

In a large lab near the center of the complex, there was a large glass canister filled with a strange green liquid. Numerous pieces of equipment were hooked up to the canister, each displaying multiple readings and humming with power. Tubes and cables ran from the lab's high ceiling, bringing power to the machines. In front of the canister sat an enclosed glass cage, with a table in the middle and vents in the floor. Beneath it, a large pipe ran beneath the floor, connected to the large tank and visible through the lab's grated floor. Three, large steel doors led out of the lab. In front of the large cage was a large computer terminal, with wires leading to the machines hooked up to it. Standing in front of the computers was Otto Octavius, his fingers moving swiftly over the keys, putting in the last few commands before he started the test. To his side stood his wife, Rosie, over looking some read outs. There was a whooshing noise as the doors into the lab opened and Norman Osborn strolled in, accompanied by Dr. Mendel Stromm, a middle aged man, with a balding head and glasses over his brown eyes. He wore a brown shirt and slacks under his lab coat.

"Excellent timing, Norman," Otto said as he glanced over his shoulder, "we we're just finishing up preparations for the test."

Mendel walked quickly up to the computer terminal and looked at the screens, "These numbers look a bit off Otto," he stated.

"I noticed that too, Mendel," Otto said as he walked away from the computer, shedding his lab coat as he did, "That's why we're performing this last test to work out this final problem with the application of the serum."

As he talked, Otto walked over to a stand near the corner of the lab. Suspended in it was a metal harness made of two parallel clasps with four metallic appendages jutting from the back. Each of the appendages seemed as long as Otto himself and each ended in three jointed figures around a central glass eye. Also jutting from the harness was another appendage that was shorter than the others and resembled a spinal column. At the tip of the appendage was a small crystal with various computer chips in it.

Otto walked up to the stand and pushed a few buttons before turning around and putting his back against the harness. Immediately the clasp snapper closed around his abdomen and the spinal appendage connected to his spine. There was a piercing sound and Otto hissed in pain as the crystal tip attached to the base of his skull. Suddenly the arms sprang to life, the central eyes on each of the appendages glowing red. They lifted themselves up and moved around in the air, resembling snakes with their fluid movements.

Otto walked towards the glass cage, the mechanical arms of his harness slithering in his wake. Walking in, he began to work and examine multiple areas at ones, using the arms to examine circuitry out of reach and to pry off grates.

"From our tests, we've figured out that some of the more recent procedures have been applying the gas too quickly in too high of a dose. When overdosed, the subject has a chance to experience mental disorders like paranoia and schizophrenia. But by adjusting the output valves," Otto explained as he used one of the mechanical arms to reach under the grating on the bottom of the chamber and adjust something, before pulling it out and replacing the grate.

"There, all set," Otto said as he exited the chamber, brushing off his hands, "now all we have to do now is do another test run and we should be all set for tomorrow."

"Sorry Doc," said a new voice from the door, accompanied by the sound of a gun being cocked, "But I think you're about to run into a few more problems."

Turning towards the door, the group saw four, heavily armed men dressed in black outfits pointing guns at them. In a panic, Mendell leaped for the control panel that had an emergency alert button. Before he could get to it though, one of the men shot the panel, destroying it and causing Mendell to leap back in fright.

Jack shook his finger at Mendell, making a tisk sound as he did. "Now, now we can't have any of that, can we?" Jack asked rhetorically, "Now if you four would just stand in the corner over there, we can do our business and be on our merry way," he explained while indicating a corner of the room with his gun. At the same time, one of the other men went up to them and began to escort the group over to the wall. Two others went over to where Otto was standing, his mechanical arms hanging limp behind him.

"All right Doc," Eel said, pointing his gun at Otto, "Hands up,"

"Well, if you insist," Otto said as he raised his hands above his head. Suddenly, his mechanical arms shot out, two grabbing the guns from the men's hands and the other two smacked them in their faces, sending them crashing to the floor. The man escorting the others looked over at the commotion. Seeing the man turn his back on them, Norman whirled around and jumped him, trying to wrestle the gun from his grip. As they struggled, Norman tripped and fell to the floor, dragging the masked man to the ground with him. As they fell, the gun escaped their grip and slid across the floor. Rushing over to it, Mendell grabbed the gun and pointed it at the masked man that Norman was struggling with. Immediately, the man backed down, moving hesitantly away from Mendell.

"A-A-All r-right, that's enough," Mendell said shakily, "Know your going to listen to me-" Mendell never got to finish, as gunshots rang out as half a dozen bullets pierced his chest, causing blood to fly through the air as he fell to the ground. The gun slid away from his grasp as his blood began to pool on the floor around him and his eyes stared, unfocused. Rosie screamed in horror as the masked man who Norman had been wrestling with got back up and reclaimed his gun. Jack stood by the door still, his arm raised and pointed where Mendell had stood, the barrel of the gun he held still smoking.

"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, I suppose," he said grimly. Turning his head, he looked where Otto was standing, dumbstruck by the murderous act he had just witnessed.

"Still feel like being a hero, Doc?" he asked, pointing his gun at Otto. Before Jack could react, Otto's mechanical arms shot out and wrapped themselves around Eel and the other man, the claw hands at the end holding their necks.

"Let them go or I'll kill your men," Otto growled, trying to sound as intimidating as possible. The effect was lost however, when Jack did something that made Otto's blood run cold. He began laughing at him.

"HA HA HA! Ho! Heh, oh wow, that was the funniest thing I've heard all day. Thanks I needed that," he said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

"What are you laughing at, I'll kill them! It would be easy!"

"I don't doubt it would be, Doc. And I might take your threat more seriously, if I really though you were going to do it. You see Doc, you lack what I like to call, the killer spirit. It's just not in you. Me and my associate over there, however" Jack explained, motioning towards where Norman and Rosie were standing, only to see the masked man with them had his hand over Rosie's mouth and his gun against her head. Tears streamed down her eyes as she fought against his grip, to no avail.

"Rosie!" Otto shouted, making a motion towards her, but stopping when he saw the masked man nudge her head with the gun as a warning.

"It appears we have a winner!" Jack said with sadistic glee, "Now Doc, how about you let my friends go, go join your lovebird over there, and let us do our jobs. I promise by the end of it, no harm will come to you and your lady friend."

"What about Norman?" Otto asked hesitantly.

"Well," Jack replied as a shift in his mask told Otto he was smiling, "I can't make promises for everyone. Your choice Doc, who's it going to be, the lovely lady or the big cheese?"

"I-I-" Otto stammered as he froze up, unable to handle the responsibility for two people's lives that had been thrust in his hands.

"Times up," Jack stated, snapping his fingers. Another shot rang out, as the masked man let go of Rosie. Time seemed to slow down for Otto as Rosie fell to the ground, blood seeping out of the wound in her head. She hit the ground in a boneless heap, blood running from the bullet wound over her unmoving face.

"ROSIE!" he screamed in despair, tears running down his face. Turning to where the masked man was standing, his face twisted in fury.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!" he roared before charging at him, throwing away his captives with his mechanical arms. Eel and the other man flew across the room before hitting the metal floor hard. As Otto blindly charged towards his wife's murder, both Jack and the other man opened fire on him. Sensing the danger, Otto through his mechanical arms up for protection as he ducked behind a computer terminal. As he did, a bullet clipped his arm, causing him to cry out in pain and clutch the wounded appendage. Many of the other bullets went stray of their intended target and hit various points of the lab, including the computer terminal that Otto was hiding behind and the large tank holding the green liquid.

With a grown, Eel picked himself off the ground where he lay near one of the computer terminals. As he pulled himself to his feet, he happened to look at the computer screen. Warning lights were flashing as the words "Warning! Tank Structural Integrity Compromised! Attempting Emergency Drain!" There was a loud grinding sound before another message appeared on the screen, "Alert! Automatic Draining System Unresponsive! Manual Release Required!" Suddenly the wires and tubes connected to the tank began to shake violently, before one shot off, billowing a green gas as it flailed around in the air. At the same time, cracks began to form on the tank, as some of the liquid began to spill out.

"Um, boss?" Eel called out, "I think we got a problem here!"

Jack looked to where Eel was looking and slowly lowered his weapon, "Uh oh,"

Suddenly more of the pipes shot off while the whole lab began to shake and more steam shot up from below the grates on the ground.

"Let's get out of here!" Jack shouted to the others. At his command, the other men leaped to their feet and scrambled to the door. Suddenly, the shaking caused a large pipe from the ceiling to fall and cut them off from the entrance.

"Shit!" Jack shouted, before looking around and spying another door out of the lab, "Over there!" he yelled, rushing over to the door with the others, as more pieces of the lab began to fall down around them.

"Otto!" Norman shouted as he ran over to the doctor, who was headed in the direction the mercenaries had gone in, "Come on! We have to get out of here!"

"No, I have to kill him! He murdered Rosie!" he yelled back.

"There's no time! They're going in the wrong direction! We have to go this way!" Norman said, grabbing the doctor and trying to direct him to the labs third door.

"Get off of me!" Otto roared, before using one of his mechanical arms to throw Norman away. The business man went flying through the air and into the glass chamber that Otto had been tinkering with before. Just as he did, a large piece of the ceiling fell away and landed on one of the control panels. The destruction of the computer caused a surge of electricity to shoot up out of the machine's remains. The electricity surged into the metal floor before running along it. Bolts of electricity shot off the ground and hit various objects around the lab, including the harness that Otto was wearing. The surge of energy caused Otto to stop in place and convulse uncontrollably. Soon steam began to float from the super heated metal and the crystal at the top glowed brightly before in exploded, sending Otto falling on his face, unconscious. At the same time, the surge of power from the control panel's destruction caused the test chamber to activate, causing the door to close and seal itself shut. Osborn pounded on the glass, but was unable to break it.

Meanwhile, the group of mercenaries rushed to the door in order to escape, just as they were opening the door another piece of the ceiling came crumbling down. Three of the mercenaries dived through the door and landed safely on the other side, but Jack got cut off by the falling debris. As the debris crashed to the ground, a shard of metal shot off of it and hit Eel in the arm, piercing right through it. The mercenary cried out in agony as he gripped his injured arm.

Looking up he found himself within a long metal hallway. A path went down the middle of the room, flanked by large metal tanks. Lights hung above the canisters, flickering as the repercussions from the disaster within the lab were felt. A steel door sat in the wall opposite the one they had come through.

"Come on!" shouted one of the mercenaries as they ran down the hall. Suddenly a large explosion shook the room, causing one of the tanks to break free as it fell onto the pathway just as the mercs passed. As it hit the ground, the tank burst open and spilt a thick, purple liquid onto the ground. Unfortunately for one of the mercs, he was standing right in the tank's path as it fell, completely dousing him as the liquid burst free.

He screamed in fear as the liquid washed over him, knocking him to the ground. The other merc reacted in time to push Eel out of the way and jump to safety himself. However, some of the liquid splashed up and managed to get in Eel's wound, causing him to scream in pain. As the liquid settled, the merc who didn't dodge lay on the ground convulsing in agony. Foul smelling vapor floated up from the liquid, causing Eel and the other merc to gag and cough as they inhaled it.

The one who got doused suddenly sat up, letting lose a blood curdling scream that caused the others to jump in surprise. He got up and ripped off one of his gloves…taking part of his skin with it. He continued to scream as his very skin began to run off his hand while his fingers drooped as if they were made of putty. Still screaming, he grabbed his mask and ripped it off, revealing his face had been horribly disfigured; its very structure drooping as if made of rubber.

"OH GOD! HELP ME!" he shouted in a highly distorted voice, reaching out with his arm, which seemed barely solid.

"Oh my God!" Eel shouted in horror. The other man took a step back in fear before grabbing Eel.

"Let's get out of here!" he shouted before pulling Eel to his feet and running around the deformed man, trying to avoid the liquid on the ground.

Opening the door, Eel and the other man found themselves on a catwalk leading across a long open shaft. Multiple pipes and vents crisscrossed the shaft, overlapping each other to form a spider-web like pattern. A ladder leading down was attached to the middle of the catwalk while another steel door sat on the opposite side.

They began to walk over to it when Eel suddenly doubled over, shouting in pain.

"Eel! What's wron-*cough* *cough*" the other man went over to Eel to help him when suddenly he began coughing violently, sending him to his knees as he hacked.

"God, Flint! It feels like my insides are on fire!" Eel cried, clutching his stomach. Flint didn't respond and instead continued to hack on the ground, covering his mouth with his hands. Suddenly, he felt something shoot up out of his throat and through his mouth, collecting in his hands. It felt strange in his hands and moving them away from his face, he saw it was a clump of blood red sand.

"What in the world?" he asked himself as the sand flowed through his fingers on to the floor.

Suddenly, a large explosion rocked the shaft. Hearing a creaking sound, Flint looked up to see one of the vents had broken off and a piece of it was tumbling down the shaft, destroying anything it hit, thereby breaking other vents and pipes. Seeing it coming, Flint leaped back the way he came as the vent crashed through the catwalk, ripping it apart like wet tissue. Part of the catwalk began to bend forward without its support, forcing Flint and Eel to hold on for dear life.

Eel let out a cry as his grip suddenly loosed, threatening to drop him. Just as he lost his grip, Flint reached out and grabbed him, holding him suspended in the air. Eel let out a cry of pain as his arm began to stretch from his weight. Flint watched in horror as Eel's arm stretched to impossible lengths while his hand became harder to hold on to. Eel was slowly lowering to a pipe that had opened on the top, revealing water rushing within to God knows where.

"I can't hold on!" Flint cried as Eel's hand began to slip through his grip.

"FLINT!" Eel cried in desperation just as Flint lost grip of him. Eel screamed in horror before he landed in the pipe with a splash and was quickly swept away.

"Oh God," he said mournfully, before the broken catwalk suddenly shifted again, positioning him over a large, spinning fan that had been exposed by the falling debris. Flint desperately tried to hold on, but let out another hacking cough as he felt his arm growing weak.

'I'm sorry Penny,' he thought to himself sadly before he felt the last of his strength leave him, and he fell onto the fan. His clothes were instantly ripped to shreds but his body seemed to break apart as if made of sand, dispersing around the fan blades and falling in a large clump into the vent.

_Meanwhile_

Back in the lab, explosions continued to rock the very structure of the building. Jack scrambled away from the wreckage that had cut off his exit. Rushing to the last remaining door, he watched in horror as flames suddenly leapt up around it, making it impossible for him to get to that one as well.

Looking around wildly, he saw that the destruction had caused a piece of the floor grating to pop up, revealing the large pipe underneath, with a hatch leading into in plain view.

'Well, desperate times call for desperate measures,' he thought to himself as he hopped into the whole and began opening the hatch.

At the same time, Norman was stilled trapped in the chamber, desperately trying to get out. A loud cracking sound caught his attention and he turned around to look for the source. What he saw was the tank holding the serum beginning to buckle from the enormous pressure that was being placed on it. With a loud crash the tank burst, sending the green liquid cascading onto the floor with the force of a tidal wave. It rushed toward the front of the lab, leaving other parts, such as where Otto lay, untouched. Jack had just gotten the hatch open when the tank broke. With a cry of fear, he hopped into the pipe and desperately tried to pull the hatch closed again, but the wave was upon him before he could do so. With a terrified scream, he was struck by the green liquid, forcing him down the pipe as he was completely submerged. The liquid began to flow down the pipe, caring Jack down with it. However, at certain points, the pipe had ruptured, allowing the serum to spray out in large amounts. This serum fell down the shaft holding the other pipes, shafts and large bunches of wires, all of which had been damaged by the quakes and explosions. As the serum began to hit the wires, it became superheated by the electricity, turning into a gaseous form, which began to float up and into the exposed vents.

Meanwhile, the wave hit the chamber that Norman was trapped in with tremendous force, shattering the glass and forcing Norman to hop onto the test table for safety. As the serum continued to pour in, it came into contact with the exposed wiring left from when Otto was trying to fix the chamber. The electricity surged through the serum, super heating it and causing it to assume its gaseous state. Norman eyes widened in horror as he was surrounded by the green gas. He began to cough and gag as it invaded his lungs, forcing him to lie back on the table. Suddenly his body went rigged and his eyes bulged out. He began to convulse wildly, his eyes practically spinning in his head. Then, just as soon as it began, the convulsing stopped and he lay back, slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard before passing out was the sound of manic laughing.

_Meanwhile_

"This is wrong Victor and you damn well know it!" a shrill voice cried out in the cryogenics lab.

Victor placed a hand to this forehead. He just couldn't see why Louise, who was now wearing a winter jacket like his own, didn't understand. Ever since he had placed Nora into stasis to keep her alive, he had kept her sister, Nora's last living relative, at arms length to avoid interference. He told her she was at a private treatment center, but after awhile it became apparent that that excuse was wearing thin. So, Victor decided to bite the bullet and show her what was really happening. Her reaction was…less than what he had hoped for.

"Louise please listen-" Victor began, calmly.

"No! You listen," she interrupted, "Why do you insist on putting her through this!?! Dragging her illness out like this!?! Who knows what kind of pain you've put her through with this."

"I assure you she doesn't feel a thing."

"For all you know she could be in agony right now! Why can't you just end it Victor? Why can't you let her go?"

"Because I love her!"

"This isn't love Victor!" she said, gesturing towards the tank that held Nora, "This isn't love! This is obsession! This is enough." She said as she walked towards the exit, "I'm going to the police"

"Please Louise, don't!" he pleaded, grabbing her arm "I'm so close to a cure, I can feel it!"

"Victor I-"

Suddenly, the lab shook violently, causing them both to stumble until they found support to keep steady.

"Victor what's happening?" Louise asked, frightened.

"I'm not sure" he responded.

Right then, another quake rocked the room, causing them both to hold on for dear life. A loud snapping sound came from above them. Looking up, Victor saw a large piece of the ceiling break away. He cried out and leapt out of the way, but the shock of its impact caused him to stumble. With a cry of horror he ran into the railing of the cat walk and fell over it, plunging into the blue liquid kept within the tanks below.

At the same time, Louise stumbled backwards into a table with vials of the same liquid on it. As she hit it, the vials broke and splashed her with the liquid. She cried out in pain as the extremely cold liquid hit her skin. Another quake hit the room, causing Louise to stumble around, delirious with pain. As yet another quake hit, she tripped over her own feet and dove headfirst into one of the open freezers. At the same time, a pipe fell and struck one of the computer panels, activating the doors and sealing it shut. In a panic, Louise began to pound on the heavy metal door, trying to get it open. As she did, a strange green gas began to enter the room. As she breathed it in, she began to cough uncontrollably, falling to her knees, one hand still against the door. As she lost consciousness, she fell to the ground, her hand sliding along the metal door…leaving a thin layer of frost in its wake.

_Meanwhile, in the biology lab_

The biology lab was one of the largest in the facilities in the complex. It was a large well lit room with various tables strewn around it. Various tanks containing different animals and vials holding different substances sat on these tables. Multiple metal doors leading into the lab were at various parts around the room.

"So what are you working on Uncle Hank?" asked Garfield. He was standing with Hank at one of the work tables, where Hank was observing a liquid he had in a vial.

"Ah, this is a prototype for a brand new growth hormone to put in the diets of cattle. The bonus is it should have no ill effects on the general populace," Hank explained.

At Garfield's blank stare, Hank sighed before saying, "This will make cows bigger so they make more meat without making people sick."

"Oh…cool"

Over at another table, Curt was standing with Victor, showing him his current research.

"So what you're telling me is if you can figure out how to manipulate the genes lizards use to regrow their tails and such, then you can manipulate the gene so people can regrow limbs too?" Victor asked.

"That's exactly it, Victor!" Curt exclaimed.

"That's actually pretty cool, Doc. With something like that you might end up putting my Mom and Pop out of a job."

Curt laughed, "I don't know about that Victor. You're parents' cybernetic research is coming along well from what I heard, while my studies have only just started."

Glen and Julie walked over to where Hank was showing their son his experiment.

"How's it going, sweetie?" Julie asked, placing a hand on Garfield's shoulder.

"It's going good, Mom. Uncle Hank was just showing me this juice he's making to make cows bigger," he said with a smile. Julie couldn't help but giggle as Hank let out a dramatic sigh.

"I'm beginning to think that biology may not be in our son's future," Glen said with a smile.

"Hey, what's that suppose to mean, Dad?"

"It means you're as dumb as a sack of rocks, little buddy," Victor said with a chuckle as he walked over.

"Hey, I'm plenty smart," Gar replied, sticking his chin up and putting his thumb against his chest.

Everyone began to chuckle in response. Suddenly though, there was a loud crashing sound and the room began to shake. Julie screamed as a large pipe fell from the ceiling and crashed onto one of the lab tables.

"What's going on!?!" Gar asked.

"I don't know but we better get out of here!" Hank shouted, before they all rushed for the door.

Opening the door, the group began to rush out. Looking up, Victor saw that the roof directly above the entrance to the door was sagging dangerously. With a loud, crash it came tumbling down, bringing large amounts of debris with it.

"Look out!" he shouted, before shoving Gar and Hank forward, just as the roof came crashing down on everyone else.

Curt let out a scream of agony as his arm became trapped under the debris. There was no sign of the others.

"MOM! DAD! VIC!" Gar shouted as he rushed towards the debris and started digging at it. At the same time, Hank rushed over to where Curt laid trapped. A large and heavy looking piece of debris lay on his arm. With a determined look, he grabbed the piece and lifted it, almost effortlessly, before pushing Curt to safety with his foot.

"H-how'd you do that?" Gar asked, staring in shock at what his uncle had just done.

"No time to explain! We have to go!" he yelled as he gently picked up Curt.

"NO! We can't leave!" he cried as began to dig into the debris again, "Vic is still here! Mom and Dad are still here!"

He began to dig even more frantically, until he felt his uncle's heavy hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he saw his uncle, with Dr. Connor's thrown over his shoulder, looking at him with a tear streaked face.

"We can't do anything for them now, my boy. Right now we can only do what they would have wanted and that's to get you to safety."

With that he grabbed Gar's hand and began to pull him along behind him, Gar offering no resistance. As they ran, green gas began to pour out of the vents and the walls. Soon, both Gar and Hank fell to their knees coughing. Slowly, they began to lose consciousness, but before Gar blacked out, he saw his uncle's form beginning to shift, becoming larger, more muscular, more…bestial.

_Botany lab_

Pamela rubbed her eyes as she looked away from the sample she had been observing. Looking at a nearby clock, she sighed seeing how late it was. Then, looking around the lab at her fellow scientists, a slight blush crossed her features. Turning away from where she was working, she took a deep, calming breath before walking over to where Alec was working.

"Um…Alec?" she called, nervously.

Looking up from his work, he smiled at her, "What can I do for you, Pamela?"

"Um…well…you see, it was getting kind of late s-so I was thinking of heading home,"

Alec looked at the clock and swept a hand through his hair, "It is getting pretty late. I think I might head out soon too."

"Y-Yes…well…before you leave…I was just wondering, if you weren't doing anything this weekend…you know…if you might want…" she rambled nervously.

"Why, Dr. Isley, are you asking me out on a date?" he asked, cheerfully.

"God, I think I might hurl," Woodrue said from across the lab.

"Quite you," Alec responded before turning back to Pamela, "I'd love to go out with you this weekend, Pamela,"

"Really?" she asked, her features lighting up with happiness.

"Of course! You just name the time and place and I'll-"

Suddenly, the lab began to shake, causing some of the hanging light's to fall and crash onto one of the tables. This table happened to contain a large canister of the experimental formula they had been working on, causing the contents to be thrown into the air and splash across their faces and skin.

Pamela screamed as she tried to wipe the chemical off, as it felt like it was burning her skin. The two others were attempting similar actions when a green gas began to float in through the vents.

The three scientists began to cough violently. Woodrue attempted to get to the door, put collapse in a heap. Alec grabbed Pamela and helped her towards the door.

"Get out of here!" he said, pushing her towards the door.

"What about you?" she asked, before bursting into a fit of coughing.

"Don't worry, I'm just going to grab the old man. I'll be right behind you. Now go!" he ordered. She nodded in response before exiting the lab and running down the hall. Sadly though, she didn't make it that far as the gas overtook her and she fell in a fit off coughing, before passing out. The gas began to react with the chemicals still covering her skin, causing it to be absorbed into her skin, turning it an odd shade of green.

Alec bent down to lift up Woodrue, but was knocked off balance when another quake hit. He stumbled into a large terrarium of plants, which poured down on him and Woodrue. As the plants hit both him and Woodrue, they began to react with the chemicals still on his skin, which had already began to react with the gas coming in. The effect was immediate as the plants seemed to absorb the chemicals and began to grow rapidly, wrapping around both Woodrue's and Alec's bodies. Panicking, Alec began to flail around. Suddenly, a large pipe fell through the roof and smashed through the floor, leaving a large gaping hole. Then, a loose cable fell into the room, its sparks setting fire to the plants that had entwined Alec's body. Alec began to scream in panic as he flailed around, trying to put out the fire. Sadly, this blinded him to his surroundings and he fell screaming into the newly formed whole in the floor. Beneath it was an open pipe, which he fell into, the impact knocking him out while the water within dosed the flames and carried him away.

_Meanwhile_

Outside Oscorp property, Ivan and his gang were walking down the street, joking and talking with each other. As they walked, Todd happened to look over at the facility. As the others kept walking, he stopped and continued to gaze at the facility.

"Yo!" he said, getting the others attentions, "There's something weird going down at Oscorp!"

The others stopped and looked as well. From where they were, they could see lights flashing in the windows and gas and smoke poring out of various points of the building.

"What do you think is happening in there?" one gang member asked out loud.

"Something big," Ivan replied.

Suddenly, pressurized steam began to shoot out of manholes on the property. At the same time the ground and the building itself seemed to shake.

"Holy crap! I think it's gonna blow, man!" one of the gang members yelled.

As if on cue, the windows of the facility shattered and a cloud of green gas came rushing out. A second explosion followed and the gas was shot outward, past the gates of the complex and into the surrounding area. As the cloud of smoke past over the gang, they began to cough and hack uncontrollably, before they fell to the ground, unconscious.

At the same time, a surge of electricity shot along the power lines connected to the facility and into the city, blacking out all buildings it came in contact with.

_At a nearby hospital_

Virgil was currently sitting on a doctor's table, having bandages wrapped around his chest.

"Ah!" he cried, flinching away from the doctor, "Careful, Doc! It's still kind of sore, you know."

"Sorry, Virgil," the doctor apologized, "they're going to be sore for awhile, you're going to have to go easy on them."

Outside, in the lobby, Evan and Richie were talking to a police officer.

"So this Ivan and his gang were the ones who did this to your brother?" the officer asked.

"Yeah," Evan replied.

"Yeah, we've had a few calls about him before. We'll see if we can have one of our boys pick him up."

"Hey thanks, man," Richie replied.

"No problem son. This is the first time we've had real, credible witnesses against this guy…as long as you're willing to testify against him that is."

Evan instantly understood the implication. If Ivan got arrested, he could bet the rest of his gang would put pressure on them to keep quite.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded solemnly, "Yeah, I'm in," he said.

"Me too," echoed Richie.

"You're a couple of brave kids, you know that?" the officer said with a smile, before closing his notebook, "Well, your parents should be here soon, so if there's nothing else-"

Suddenly, the building was rocked as a surge of electricity hit it. Multiple lights burst, sending glass falling to the floor, before all power cut off. Seconds later, the secondary generator kicked in, restoring power to the remaining lights and machinery… just in time to reveal a cloud of greed gas rushing into the hospital, quickly filling up the ground floor.

Evan and Richie fell to their knees coughing along with the rest of the people on the ground floor. In the doctor's office, Virgil fell back on the table, as the doctor fell to the ground. The last thing he saw before passing out was the sight of purple sparks coming off of his finger tips.

_Metropolis Police Station_

Wally watched as Barry looked at some evidence under his microscope.

"So why did you need to come out here to Metropolis again, Uncle Barry?" he asked, slightly bored.

"Well the higher ups think that whoever committed this crime here, committed a similar one back in Central City a few months back. So they decided to bring in someone who had previous experience with the case here to see if I couldn't help out," he explained.

"How's that going?" Wally asked.

"Good actually," Barry replied, "Looking at this sample, I can honestly say-" He was cut off when he heard the sound of a large explosion outside.

Rushing to the window, Barry and Wally looked out in the direction of the sound. Just outside the window, an electrical crew was working on a power line, with one man up on a telephone pole. Like them, the crew had heard the explosion and looked for the source. What they saw instead was a surge of electricity running down the wires directly towards them.

"MAX!" one of the workmen on the ground yelled, "Get out of there!"

Before he could react however, the surge of electricity hit the workman, causing him to go suddenly rigid. Suddenly, he yelled out in pain as he brought his arm forward and a lightning bolt shot off of it…right at the window where Barry and Wally were standing.

"WALLY! Look out!" he yelled as he grabbed his nephew, and jumped away from the window, shielding him with his body. The bolt struck him in the back, sending them flying through the air and crashing into a cabinet full of chemicals. The chemicals spilled across both of their bodies, reacting with the excess electricity and absorbing into their skin. As the both lay unconscious on the lab's floor, the sprinkler system engaged, drenching them in water as the sound of people rushing towards the lab was heard.

_The Sanctum Sanctorum_

Deep within the heart of Metropolis, the plain-looking home of the Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange. Within, Strange was in his meditation room, connecting with the Astral Plane. He floated a few feet above the floor of the plain white room, dressed in his blue shirt and pants but devoid of his cape. His face had a serene look over it with his eyes closed in meditation.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open as he let out an audible gasp. Grasping his head with one hand, he stumbled towards the exit. Waiting at the door, Wong stood holding Stephen's cloak.

"Is there something wrong, Master?" Wong asked, as he handed Stephen his cloak.

"Something's happening in the city, Wong," he answered, worriedly. "I need to see what's happening."

"Mistress Clea is in the observation room right now," Wong explained.

They quickly made their way through the twisting hallways of the Sanctorum, before coming to a set of double doors. Clea stood within the round room, looking into a large crystal ball.

"Stephen!" she said, whirling around and rushing toward him.

"What's happening out there, Clea?" he asked as he put his hands on her shoulders.

"There's been some sort of accident at the Oscorp facility. Some sort of toxin is being spread across the area near the facility. Also some sort of electric pulse was set off too, damaging even more of the city," she explained hastily.

Rushing to the ball, he peered into it, looking at the chaos that part of the city had been engulfed in. A green cloud had settled around the Oscorp building as well as some buildings in the surrounding area. Looking closer he could see that a wave of electric energy was traveling along the power lines into the city.

"Stephen Strange!" Thor's booming voice called out as he and Diana rushed into the room, "I sensed troubles within the city. What is happening?"

"There appears to have been a terrible accident of some kind at the Oscorp facility."

Rushing up to the crystal ball, Thor and Diana gazed into, before they both let out audible gasps.

"Great Hera," Diana whispered to herself as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"In what part of the city is this, Doctor?" Thor asked solemnly.

"The industrial district on the edge of the city. It's not close enough to threaten us but-"

"Come Diana," Thor said, interrupting Stephen as he headed for the exit, "We must hurry if we wish to be of aid."

As Diana followed him, Stephen whirled around with a bewildered look on his face, before rushing after Thor.

"Thor!" Stephen shouted as he grabbed one of Thor's shoulders and turned him to face him, "What do you think you're doing!?!"

"I'm going to help the fair mortals of this city in their time of need, Stephen Strange," Thor replied, confused by Stephen's outburst.

"Thor I've discussed this with you since you first came here. The Statute of Secrecy must be upheld, and a flying, thunder god rushing through the city helping people isn't going to do that!"

"Please Stephen Strange, I understand your plight and I have lived by the rules of your Wizard community for years, but never before has something like this happened. You can not expect me to stand by and do nothing!"

"Thor I know its difficult but…" Stephen trailed off as he saw movement behind Thor and Diana. Looking past Thor he saw the Phantom Stranger leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. He was slowly shaking his head while staring Stephen in the eyes with his pupil-less white ones.

"_Let them go Doctor,_" he heard the Stranger's voice in his head "_there is more than you know at stake here tonight._"

"Doctor, are you well?" Diana asked with a worried look.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine, Diana I was just…" looking back, he saw that the Stranger had disappeared, "Just thinking. Anyway, I've decided you two are right. Saving those people is the most important thing right now. Besides, seeing two flying people isn't going to immediately get people thinking there's a hidden society of wizards and witches in the world. Still it will get them thinking, so stay hidden as much as you can and don't talk to anyone if you're confronted, all right?"

"Indeed, Stephen Strange!" Thor bellowed, before grabbing Stephen and bear hugging him, causing Stephen to go blue in the face, "You shan't regret this, mine friend!"

"Thor!" Diana interjected with a pleading face, "We must make haste if we want to be of aid."

"Yes, of course," he replied as he put Stephen down, "We shall return," With that, he and Diana rushed down the hall out of sight.

"Stephen?" Clea spoke up, a confused look on her face, "Why did you let them go?"

"That's what I would like to know," Stephen replied, gazing into the shadowy corners of the room.

"Looking for me, Doctor?" a voice said from behind him, causing Stephen to jump. Turning he found the Phantom Stranger standing behind him.

"Yes," he replied, regaining his composer, "Why did you want me to let them go so badly?"

"A chain of events have been set in motion, one that will affect the entire universe as we know it. I couldn't let your people's paranoid laws interfere," The Stranger explained.

"Those laws were put into place for a reason," Stephen argued, rather half-heartedly.

"Yes, they were, but that reason has past. I know this and you know this," the Stranger stated, before turning away and walking towards the shadows of the room. "I see in your heart that you do not agree with your people's laws, and I know that though Thor and Diana's escapades will draw attention, the decision to reveal the Wizarding world will be in your hands. So Doctor, you must make a choice, will you bring your people into the light or continue to hide in the shadows?" And with that he walked into the shadows and was gone.

"Are you all right, Stephen?" Clea asked, walking up and putting her hands on his shoulders.

"It feels like a great weight has been put on my shoulders, my dear," He replied, his shoulders slumping.

"I'm sure that whatever you decide, it will be the right decision," she said encouragingly, before giving him a peck on the cheek. Stephen smiled before walking up to the crystal ball and gazing into it, placing his hands on the table it sat on.

"I hope so, Clea," he whispered, "By the Vishianti, I hope so."

_Somewhere near the North Pole_

Deep within the Arctic Circle, a large structure sat. It towered above the surrounding frozen tundra, like a mountain upon a plain. The structure was shaped very similar to a mountain as well, though it was made out of multiple, giant shards of pristine crystal. Here and there, lights could be seen blinking on and off as the structures inner working went about their duty.

The structure contained literally hundreds of rooms, ranging from small to massive. One particularly large room sat at the core of the structure. The room was large and open. The room was divided by a large cliff, with one half being particularly higher up than the other. A particularly large dome in the middle of the lower part of the room, a bright light cast from its center, creating a large column of light. Floating in the light were multiple shapes and symbols, weaving within each other in the light column. The shapes congregated around an outcropping from the crystal cliff face. Multiple crystals jutted up from the outcropping, forming a consul of sorts.

Standing in front of the consul was a tall, powerfully built young man. He had short, jet black hair that curled in the front, as well as crystal blue eyes. He wore a blue bodysuit with red shorts, a yellow belt and red boots. On his chest was the design of a red S in a diamond, outlined in yellow. Draped around his shoulders was a red cape that reached to the back of his legs.

He stared intently at the information that passed in front of his eyes. Billions of bits of data, coming in from all over the world, were displayed before him. Suddenly, a bit of information written in red passed before his line of sight. Pointing a finger at it, he caused the information flow to stop and the selected bit to enlarge. Looking at the data, his eyes widened when he realized it was a report on a disaster that was happening at that very moment. He quickly read the entire piece of data, before his eyes narrowed.

'_Well Clark_,' he thought to himself, '_You wanted to help people. Looks like now is a good a time as any.'_

"Computer!" Clark bellowed in an authoritative voice, "Shut down all non essential systems and put the Fortress into lockdown mode as soon as I leave. And open the sky light, would you?"

"AFFIRMATIVE" the deep, male voice of the computer responded, before the data feed cut off and the projector went dark. Immediately after, a circle opening appeared in the ceiling, letting in light from the outside. Propelling himself off the ground, Clark flew up through the opening which led into a shaft that ran from the computer room right into the structure's top, opening out into the Arctic sky. Pausing a moment to hover above the massive crystalline structure that had been his home for the past few years, Clark gazed around the frozen tundra that surrounded it, before focusing on a specific direction and shooting off like a rocket, creating a sonic boom and leaving a small shockwave in his wake. The icy lands of the arctic blurred past him as Clark rushed towards his destination. He had to get to Metropolis as quickly as possible. He had to help.

_Meanwhile,_

At the Oscorp facility, emergency rescue teams ran about the area, wearing breathing masks in order to protect them from the cloud of gas that surrounded the area. Rubble had begun to accumulate around the buildings as more explosions continued to rip them apart.

A group of rescue workers worked quickly to pull out some people who had become trapped under the rubble. Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the area as a large chunk of the building fell off, falling right towards the workers. They held up their arms in a vain attempt to protect themselves as they screamed in fear at the onrushing debris. But it never reached them as a red and blue blur shot underneath it. Looking up, the rescue workers saw a young woman, in what looked like a one piece bathing suit, flying above them and holding the large piece of debris over her head. With a heave, she threw the debris safely to the side, before floating down to the workers.

"Are you all right?" she asked over the chaos surrounding them. The workers could only nod dumbly in response.

"Here, allow me to aid you," she said, before picking up a large piece of debris and tossing it aside. She then proceeded to pull two people out of the rubble and give them to the rescue workers.

"See that they are aided," she ordered, "we have much work to do tonight, so we must be quick about it. Good luck, my friends!" And with that, she flew off, out of sight.

The rescue workers stared dumbly after her and there was a few moments of silence before one of them spoke up.

"Who the hell was that?"

"You think it was a mutant?" one asked.

"I don't know, man. That seemed like some of the stuff the Sentry used to do." Another said.

"Well that sure wasn't the Sentry, I can tell you that much," a third spoke up.

"Whoever she is, we should just be thankful she's here to help us. Now come on, let's get these people out of here!"

On the other side of the complex, Diana met up with Thor, who was helping to remove rubble as well.

"Thor!" she called, catching his attention, "We must do something about this gas!"

Looking around, Thor sniffed the air, before his features screwed up in disgust. "You are right, Diana. This foul vapor is bringing ill upon the mortals."

Thor lifted his hammer above his head and began to swing it in a circle. He spun it faster and faster before it became a blur of motion. The wind began to churn above the hammer before it finally formed a large cyclone, which quickly sucked up all the gas surrounding them and shooting it into the sky. As it continued to grow, more and more of the gas, along with loose debris, began to be sucked up until all the gas that had been released had been thrown high into the sky, where it dissipated harmlessly.

"Well done, Thor!" Diana said with delight, "That should make things easier."

Slowly, she surveyed the surrounding area, looking at the damaged buildings and the people who stared at them with astonishment. "What caused all this horror?"

A loud crash caught their attention. Looking up, they saw a hole in the side of the Oscorp building where one had not been before. They looked at each other quickly before flying up to the hole and entering.

Inside, they found themselves within a devastated lab, with multiple holes in the walls. Looking through a particularly large hole, they saw the figure of person outlined in the light of the various fires in the area. The figure appeared to be as large and as powerful as Thor, with a long trailing cape. As they watched him, he walked towards a wall and began to tear it apart with his bare hands. Suddenly the whole building began to shake.

"He's trying to bring the whole building down!" Thor yelled before flying at the unknown figure.

"Thor, wait!" Diana called, but he was already gone.

"HAVE AT THEE VILLAIN!" Thor bellowed as he charged. The man had just enough time to turn his head to look at Thor before his hammer connected with the man's jaw, sending him flying through the roof.

Clark grunted as he was sent crashing out of the building. Steadying himself in midair, he rubbed his now aching jaw. '_Who was that?_' he thought'_Whoever it was, they hit like a train_'_._

Clark was snapped out of his thoughts when a lightning bolt suddenly shot out of the whole he had just formed. He managed to dodge it, but just barely. Right behind it, a powerfully built man with long blond hair, wielding a hammer, came flying out of the hole. He barreled down on Clark who was able to dodge out of the way as the man swung his hammer at his head.

Taking advantage, Clark punched the man in the gut, before striking him in the face, sending him flipping through the air.

"Are you done?" Clark asked, his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched, "Why the heck are you attacking me?"

"Why you are attacking this place and these people, be the better question, villain," the man replied, wiping blood away from his mouth.

"Attacking?" Clark asked, shocked, "You think I did this? I came here to help!"

"A likely tale, villain. But one that shall not fool me!"

The man flew at Clark with his hammer raised. As he brought it down, Clark caught it by the handle. Before he could do anything, a surge of electricity surged from the hammer's head to the handle, shocking Clark. Clark cried out in pain as he convulsed in the air. The man took the opportunity to strike him in the chest with his hammer, sending Clark plummeting to the ground, cratering it. As Clark tried to recover, the blond man shot another lightning bolt at him, forcing him back down on the ground.

As Thor hovered there with his hammer pointing down, Diana flew up to him, after watching the fight from the sidelines.

"Thor, are you all right?" she asked, concern in her eyes as she touched the bruise forming on his cheek.

"I am fine, Diana," he said warmly, "now that that villain has been dealt with."

"Thor, I heard him saying he was trying to help. Are you sure he was the one who did this?"

"That tale was more than likely a lie used to try and trick us. I've had much experience with such treachery."

"You've also had plenty of experience of running into a situation without thinking,"

"Are you doubting my judgment, Diana," he said, looking hurt.

Diana's raised eyebrow spoke volumes.

Before he could say more, two red beams came from below, striking him in the chest. He roared in pain as he was knocked higher into the air. Recovering, he looked down to see the man standing in the crater he made in the ground.

"Hey! Are we done here yet!?! 'Cause I can do this all night, and I'm pretty sure you can too, so how about we knock this off and help these people," he yelled, while gesturing to the burning wreckage and the people surrounding them.

Thor merely growled in response, before he dove towards the man, his hammer raised. The man only grimaced in response, before he disappeared from sight. Before Thor could react, the man appeared right next to him, jabbing his knee into Thor's stomach. As Thor crumpled up, the man struck him in the back with an axe handle strike, sending Thor flying into the ground, hitting the same crater and making it bigger. As Thor tried to pull himself out, the man landed on him with crushing force, driving both his feet and all the weight behind them into Thor's chest. Standing over him, the man pointed at Thor.

"Now I think you and I need to talk," he said. As he talked though, a long, golden lasso wrapped around his hand. Before he could figure out what was happening, he was yanked up into the air by his arm. He was abruptly stopped when Diana grabbed him by the front of his suit. Her light blue eyes glared into his.

"Who are you?" she asked him.

"Kal-El the last son of Krypton, raised on Earth as Clark Kent," he said automatically, before a shocked look appeared on his face.

"Krypton?" she said, confused.

"It was a planet in the Zion Galaxy. It was destroyed over 70 years ago by Galactus, the Destroyer of Worlds. I was the only survivor," he said, confusion still written on his face.

Diana didn't understand a lot of what this "Kal-El" said, but what she did, made her loosen her grip on her lasso.

"I'm…I'm saddened to here that, Kal-El," she said, her eyes filling with what Clark could tell was genuine sympathy.

"There's no need to apologize…" Clark trailed off when he realized he didn't know her name.

"Diana," she filled helpfully, before turning to look at the destruction below them, "You didn't do this, did you, Kal-El,"

"No" he replied automatically.

"Very well," she said, removing the lasso from Clark's arm, "I'm sorry for the confusion, my friend has a tendency-"

Before Diana could finish, there was a roar below them as Thor shot out of the crater, heading right towards Clark. As he was about to strike him, Diana moved between them.

"Thor, stop!" she shouted, causing the blond god to stop in his tracks.

"Diana, what are you doing?" he asked, with a confused look on his face.

"He isn't the one who did this, Thor," she stated.

"How can you be so sure?" he questioned. Diana merely responded by holding up her lasso for him to see.

"Oh yes…of course," he said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Now, I believe you should apologize to Kal-El for your actions."

"Who is Kal-El?" Thor asked, with another confused look. Clark waved his hand, an awkward smile on his face.

"Oh! Of course!" Thor said, before taking Clark's hands and grasping it in his own. "I misjudged you greatly, Kal-El, you have my sincerest apologies. The son of Odin swears he will right this grave injustice."

"Um…Thanks," Clark responded as he pulled his hand back.

Suddenly, a small explosion went off below them.

"I think right now we have work to do," Clark said before he and the others flew down to the disaster site.

_Meanwhile_

In a huge, predominantly white, windowless room, people scurried here and there, in just short of a panic. While half of the room resembled an airport terminal complete with little shops, even a McDonalds; the other looked like an office building. Dozens of desks sat facing one of the walls, which was dominated by a series of large screens that were all currently showing various shots of Metropolis and the Oscorp facility. Gathered around this area, all looking at the screen were men and women dressed in jet black suits. Two such individuals stood in front of the rest, both appeared middle age, with one bring of average build and clean shaven, while the other was pudgy and had a beard.

"What do you think, Zed?" the clean shaven one asked.

"Looks like some experiment gone wrong, K. From the facts we're getting, this doesn't involve us," Zed replied with a shrug.

A flash appeared on the screen, catching K's eye, "Maybe it does,"

Heading towards the screen, he stopped in between a twin set of work stations, at which two strange creatures sat. They were both blue, with saggy skin and large, round torsos. They had long, skinny arms with three fingers each and three legs, forming a tripod like stance. From the top of the torso sprouted a long stalk atop of which sat a single eye.

"Bob," K said, addressing one of the aliens, "Can you rewind camera eight for me,"

The alien made a loud squeaking sound before it hits some keys and the view marked camera six enlarged to fill the whole screen and began to rewind.

"Okay, now stop and play it slow motion," K said after a moment, "And stop"

Displayed on the screen was the image of a young man flying through the air, his arms stretched out in front of him. He wore a blue body suit with a red cape. His face was visible to the camera as he looked at something beyond it.

"Look familiar to anyone?" K asked.

No one responded, so K just sighed and turned back to the twin aliens, "Bring up image 5A26-KC" he ordered.

Moments later, the mug shot of a 16 year old boy popped up on the screen next to the stilled video feed, with the words "Kent, Clark" above it.

"How about now?" he asked as everyone stared at the images in shock.

"Christ, are you telling me that's Kent out there?" Zed asked.

"What I'm saying is that it looks like our boy is back," K replied, looking at the two pictures on the screen.

_Later_

Clark dug through a pile of rubble, using his X-ray vision to find more people in danger. Lifting a large piece of concrete, he threw it to the side, revealing a man underneath. Clark's eyes widened as he got his first good look at the man. His skin was completely purple, with bands of blue wrapping around his neck and chest and crossing across his chest. He was completely bald and lacked any distinguishing features, making it look like he was wearing a skin tight suit.

The man groaned and began to stir, slowly opening his eyes, which Clark saw were completely white.

"Are you alright, sir?" Clark asked as he reached for the man. As soon as Clark touched his skin, he felt this sudden draining sensation, so powerful it caused him to cry out in shock. Stumbling back, Clark gripped his head, which was suddenly swimming, while his limbs felt incredibly weak. At the same time, the other man suddenly cried out as well, thrashing around wildly. His thrashing caused him to smack the rubble around him, crushing it or throwing it away with incredible ease.

Suddenly, he bolted upright, looking around wildly. He spotted Thor and Diana rushing towards Clark, seeing him in distress. A sudden memory of being struck in the face by Thor's hammer flashed before his eyes, causing him to real back violently.

"St-Stay away from me!" he shouted in fear, before he turned around and took off running. Before he knew it, he was running at incredible speeds. Reaching the fence that surrounded the property, he instinctively leaped over it, clearing the twelve foot fence with frightening ease. He landed on the other side without a sound, before he continued running, disappearing into the night.

"Kal-El!" Diana cried out as she caught the stumbling Clark, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Clark said, feeling his strength return, "I think I'm alright"

"What was that creature?" Thor asked.

"I don't know, Thor but I don't think that's the last time we'll see it," Clark said as he looked in the direction it had run off in. As he looked, he heard people approaching from behind. As he looked back, his eyes widened in shock, before he fully whirled around to face the newcomers.

Turning, Diana and Thor saw a group of about a dozen men and women dressed in black suits with sunglasses. Standing in front was a middle aged man with brown hair.

"You've grown up, Clark," K said emotionlessly.

"You've grown older, K" Clark replied, a slight edge in his voice.

"What are you doing out here Clark?" K asked, ignoring the barb.

"Helping people, K. What are you doing?" Clark responded.

"Cleaning up after you," K stated plainly. Looking around, Clark saw agents walking around the complex and Neuralizing the volunteers who had seen him.

"I'm not going to stop doing this, K" Clark informed him, "You won't always be able to clean up after me. The secret's going to get out eventually,"

"You're right," K responded, his face as unreadable as ever.

"You're darn right I'm…wait, what?" Clark asked, confused.

"I said, you're right Clark, the secret is going to get out eventually. Just not tonight. We need more time."

"Why?"

"Because son, people aren't going to react very kindly to finding out that aliens have been living amongst them secretly for half a century. We need to find a way to break the news gently, minimize the damage as it were."

"What about me?" Clark asked, still rather bewildered.

"Well, if you really do want to help people, which I truly believe you do, but the rest of the organization is a little edgy on, then we'll leave you alone. Hell, you can tell people you're really an alien if you really want to. Just don't tell then about us. And we'll know because we'll be watching, son" K explained.

"And what about those files you have on me?" Clark asked, a slight hint of fear in his voice.

"Worried someone might want them once you start playing hero?" K remarked.

"Actually, yes, yes I am,"

"Don't worry, only me and Zed are allowed to see them now, and seeing we don't answer to the United Planets Council and not any Earth government, well…you get the point." K said, giving Clark a small smirk.

"I guess D did rub of on you a little bit, huh K?" Clark said with a beaming smile.

"You never know, son" K replied, his face dropping back into its neutral pose.

"Kal-El, who is this man?" Diana asked, sensing that the conversation was coming to a close.

"Hm?" Clark snapped his head towards them, blinking, "Oh! Sorry, forgot you guys were here for a second."

Placing a hand on K's shoulder, Clark turned him towards Thor and Diana, "This is Agent K of the Men in Black, or MIB, for short. He's an old friend who I've known practically since birth. His job is to watch over people from other planets, like me."

"Well, Agent K, it is an honor to meet an old friend of the noble Kal-El," Thor boomed, "My name is-"

"Thor, son of Odin," K cut him off, surprising Thor, "Norse God of Thunder sent here to be a representative of the Asgardians," he then turned his attention towards Diana, "Diana, Princess of Themyscara and the Amazons. Blessed with great powers by the Greek gods."

"How did you-" Diana started.

"You've had a couple of run-ins with the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense since you showed up a few years back and they were kind enough to lend us their files on you when we figured out you were here." K explained, "It seems there are going to be a lot of people unhappy with your friend, Dr. Strange, after tonight."

"We were only trying to help," Diana pleaded.

"Hey, don't talk to me, Princess, I've got nothing against you," K said as he turned to leave "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do. Be seeing you, Clark,"

"Bye, K" Clark said with a wave of his hand, before turning to Diana and Thor, "So, where are you guys staying, anyway?"

_A few days later_

"Garfield?" a voice asked in the darkness.

Garfield moaned as he slowly opened his eyes, before squeezing them shut from the bright light. He raised a hand to his head in a futile attempt to stop his throbbing headache.

"Garfield, are you awake, my boy?" a familiar voice asked.

"That you, Uncle Hank?" Garfield asked as he slowly began

"Yes it is," Hank said with a hesitant voice, "Now Garfield, something has happened and you might find it shocking at first but-"

"But what Uncle HOLY CRAP!!!" Gar yelled as he opened his eyes and fell out of the hospital bed he was in, in shock.

He was in a hospital room, he could tell from the plain white walls, the special hospital bed he had just fallen out of and the sterilized smell. Sitting in a chair next to what was obviously his bed, was a furry, blue…thing. It looked like some type of ape, with long canines, and yellow eyes. Its large hands where tipped with long, pointed fingernails. The oddest thing was that he was dressed in a turtleneck sweater and cargo pants.

"Garfield! Are you all right!?!" the creature asked in a worried tone, as it sprang to its feet. A worried tone that sounded exactly like Garfield's uncle Hank.

"Stay aw…Uncle Hank, is that you?" he asked his arms held up in defense. His eyes then drifted down to his arms. They were green. And furry.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" he screamed, as he stared at his hands. He quickly looked at the rest of his body, seeing much of the same results, along with the fact his ears were now pointed.

"Garfield! It's alright!" Hank cried as he rushed to the boy's side.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" he roared as Hank tried to put his hands on his shoulders. As he did, his features began to change. First, his eyes lost their pupils, becoming pure white. Then, the rest of his face changed, his jaw extended outward as his mouth and nose enlarged. His ears became more pointed as his eyes moved father apart and his face widened. At the same time, both his arms and his legs began to grow skinnier while the curvature of his back changed, forcing him onto all fours. He let out a slight yelp as a tail suddenly sprouted from the base of his spine and stuck out of the back of his hospital gown, before growing small tufts of fur. Garfield's body continued to change until Hank was not standing in front of his nephew, but a green colored wolf.

"Oh, my stars and garters," Hank whispered to himself as he stared shocked at the boy. As he said this, a nurse ran in to the room to see what the commotion was all about. She screamed upon seeing a wild animal with in the room. The wolf looked around in a panic, trying to figure out was going on.

As the nurse screamed, a doctor ran in as well, looking worried.

"What's going on in here!?!" he demanded.

"Please give me a moment," Hank pleaded to the doctor, "I can calm him down, but I need you to calm down as well,"

"Don't you tell me what to do, mutie!" the doctor snapped, "I knew it was a mistake to let you freaks in here. I'm calling security." The doctor turned and began walking away.

Hank growled to himself before turning to Garfield. Kneeling down, he gestured towards Garfield.

"It's alright, Garfield," he said, easing towards his nephew, who looked at him uneasily.

"It's me, Hank. We've both gone through…changes," he said, uneasily, "But for now, I think that if you just calm down…" as he said this, Garfield began to change again, reverting back to his human form, resting on his hands and knees. He began to breath erratically before he collapsed to the ground in a heap of sobs. Hank rushed over to him and scooped him into a hug. Garfield grabbed hold of Hank and began to sob violently.

"Uncle H-Hank, w-what's h-happened to us?" he cried into Hank's shoulder.

"The accident at the lab did this. In short, you're a mutant now," Hank explained.

"I'm a m-mutant…are you one too?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Yes," Hank reassured him, "Yes, I am"

"W-Well I guess that's not so bad," Garfield stated, drying his eyes, "So where's Mom and Dad?"

Hank's eyes widened, before he looked away with a sorrowful look on his face, "They…They didn't make it, Garfield,"

"D-Didn't make it?" he replied, confused.

"They're…dead Garfield, they didn't make it out," he explained.

Garfield stared at his uncle, completely devastated. He looked at Hank, trying to find the strength to speak, before he openly wept and grabbed onto Hank again, wailing into his shoulder.

_Meanwhile, _

The front door to the unassuming Sanctum Sanctorum opened before an equally unassuming man walked out. He was tall, yet he slouched, making him seem smaller as well as possessing a skinny build. His jet black hair was slicked back, and he wore thick glasses over his blue eyes. He wore a grey suit, with dark brown shoes. He turned around, fixing his glasses hesitantly. Following behind him was Dr. Strange, dressed in an unassuming blue robe.

"That's quite the convincing disguise, Mr. Kent," the Doctor said, with a smile.

"Thank you, Doctor Strange," he said, dropping the act and standing up straight before holding a hand out to Stephen.

Stephen smiled before taking Clark's hand and shaking, "Now make sure you visit me every week to have that illusion spell renewed, alright?"

"Of course, Doctor, I'll make sure none of us forget," he said, looking over Stephen's shoulder.

Right then, two figures walked out. Both looked about Clark's age. One was a skinny, clean shaven man with short, spiky, blond hair, and blue eyes. He wore a plain, white t-shirt under a jean jacket along with khaki pants and white sneakers. Along with him was a mousy-looking woman with long black hair done up in a bun. She wore small wire frame glasses over her blue eyes. She wore a red shirt under a black jacket, and blue jeans, with black, high heeled boots. She had a white scarf wrapped around her neck.

"Are you sure this is a good disguise, Clark Kent?" the blond man asked, rubbing his clean shaven face, hesitantly.

"Indeed, do all women appear this…weak?" the woman asked, looking at her body.

"No Diana, but if we don't want to stick out, you'll have too," Clark explained.

"Of course, your wisdom with this "secret identity" idea is great indeed," Thor said.

"Speaking of which," Strange said, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out two I.D's cards and handing them to Thor and Diana, "I hope that you have taken the time to memorize the identity's that the M.I.B. were gracious enough to grant you for your cooperation with them,"

"Of course," Diana said, "I am Diana Prince, born on December 8, 1990 in Gary Indiana,"

"And I am," Thor began dramatically, before Diana elbowed him in the stomach, "I mean, I'm Donald Blake, born August 12, 1991 in Lansing, Michigan."

"Very good," Clark congratulated, before turning back to Stephen, "I can't thank you enough, Doctor,"

"Think nothing of it," Strange said, before addressing all of them, "Now go out there and do some good,"

"We plan on it, Stephen Strange," Thor said, slapping him on the arm, making Stephen wince. Diana walked up and hugged him gently,

"Thank you for everything, Stephen," she said with a smile,

"It was my pleasure, Diana," he replied, "Now, if you excuse me, I believe we all have work to do," he said, before turning around and reentering his home, giving the group a small wave as he left.

"We will see you soon, Stephen Strange," Thor called out before turning to the others.

"Well," Clark began, looping his arms around his friends' shoulders and leading them down the street, "my old friend K hooked me up with this apartment uptown. The problem is that it's a little big, like it could fit two more people. So I was looking for some roommates. You guys interested?"

"What is a "room mate", Clark Kent?" Thor asked, confused.

"Oh boy, I have so much to teach you two, don't I?" Clark said with a laugh as they continued to walk down the street.

_A few days later_

Garfield stood in the hospital again, though this time, he wasn't a patient. He was dressed in casual clothes, a green shirt, blue jacket and jeans, with a backpack slung over his shoulder. He was standing in front of a hospital bed in the intensive care ward. In the hospital bed lay a body almost completely covered in bandages, except for the right side of the person's face, revealing a young, African American boy. He was unconscious and had numerous machines hooked up to him. The chart at the front of his bed read "Stone, Victor". Victor's parents stood off to the side, both looking like they hadn't slept in days.

"Hey, Vic," Garfield said, hesitantly, "I'd ask you how it's going, but…well…" he trailed off.

"If you saw me today, I don't think you'd recognize me. I'm green now and…furry," he chuckled slightly, "Sounds ridiculous now doesn't it? Apparently, the gas that got released in the accident apparently activated the dormant X-gene in my blood, making me a mutant. I wasn't the only one too. Same thing happened to Virgil, Evan and Richie. C-Crazy I know, right? They just happened to be in the area. Apparently the gas exploded out from the building and covered part of the city. It changed some people, pretty much exclusively teenagers like us, into mutants. It killed pretty much anyone else who came in contact with it. Richie's dad threw him out, the racist bastard. Don't worry though, Mr. Hawkins took him in. He's still as good a guy as ever. I've seen a lot of hate lately. You remember that guy at school who got ousted as a mutant? How everyone at school seemed to hate him? It's a lot like that for us, now. There's some good news though, I'm going to a special school for mutants that just opened up. You know that place where Virgil's aunt, Ororo, works? Xavier's? Turn's out Uncle Hank was a former student of his. So we're all going to be going there. Don't worry though, all our other friends are going to be here still, and they said they'll visit you all the time," he trailed off again.

"A lot of people died, Vic. My parents included," he choked up a bit, "W-We just buried them yesterday, and I'll be heading off the Xavier's after I'm done here. I'll come and visit as much as I can, okay?" he paused as tears started to roll down his cheeks.

"Thanks for saving my life, Vic. I-I'll never be able to pay you back," he placed a hand gently on one of Vic's bandaged feet, "Well, I should be going before they kick me out, your parents we're nice enough to make them let me stay but I don't want to push my luck. You're my best friend Vic, and you always will be. Don't forget it while I'm gone, 'kay? Get well soon," With that he turned and started walking towards the exit.

As he approached the door, Beth, Vic's mother stopped him, before wrapping him up in a hug.

"Thanks, Mrs. Stone," he said as he let go.

"Now you go and be good, okay?" she said with motherly warmth, "No more tears,"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, as more tears rolled down his face.

"No more tears, I said," she said, wiping his tears away, "You've got to be strong for my boy. You've got to live for the both of you now, got it?"

"Yes ma'am,"

"Good, now go make your parents proud," she said, patting him on the shoulder. He nodded, before taking a deep breath, standing up straight and walking out the door. Beth smiled as she watched him go.

"Such a good boy," she said as she turned back to her husband.

"Yes, he is" Frank replied as he pulled his wife into a one arm hug. Beth began to tear up as she looked at their son again.

"Oh god, what are we going to do Frank?" she said in dismay.

"We'll think of something, dear" he said as he pulled out his cell phone, going through his list of contacts. He stopped when he got to the name "Stark, Tony," "We'll think of something."

A/N:

4 months. Oh God. 4 months. I don't know how to apologize to all of you who are still with me. Really, I am SO so sorry. This is unacceptable. Even with my computer breaking down and getting ready for college, this shouldn't have happened. I swear on my soul, it will never happen again. That's a promise.

Anyway, some of you will undoubtedly notice that there were a few loose strings left after this chapter. Worry not, those will all be settled in the fics I'll be writing after this one is finally done (still 3 more chapters planned). I hope you enjoyed how this one went, I personally really liked it. Of course this is what I was planning to do from the very beginning but still, you get the point.

Bonus points to those who figure out what the color of Jack's mask symbolized, as well as figure out who everyone introduced in this chapter was.

So please review and tell me what you thought. Until next time, Later True Believers!


	13. This Man

**Chapter 13: This Man**

_Avarice, envy, pride,  
Three fatal sparks, have set the hearts of all  
On Fire._

-Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

_September 16__th__, 2012, S.T.A.R Research Lab, Somewhere in the Nevada Desert,_

Within the dusty deserts of the American Southwest stood a large complex. Surrounded by barbed wire fences and armed guards, the complex cast an intimidating sight. Within the facility, the halls were a blinding, clean white color, illuminated by fluorescent lights. Multiple steel doors lead off of the hallway, leading into different laboratories.

Suddenly, one of the doors opened with a whooshing sound and a young man stormed out, an angry look on his face. He was roughly 16 years old, with short spiky blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a blue t-shirt and jeans other his athletic frame.

"Johnny, come back!" a voice cried as a young woman ran after him. She appeared to be in her early twenties, with long, blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a lab coat over a pair of grey pants and a white blouse, doing little to hide her beautiful figure.

"No way, Sue! I'm done with him." The boy said as he stormed down the hall. Sue caught up to him and gripped his shoulder and turned him around to face her.

"Johnny, I know you're upset," Sue began, calmly.

"Upset?" he asked, incredulously, "Upset!?! I'm furious! Have you been listening to anything I've said!?! Gar's parents are dead! Vic's in a coma on life support! Half my friends have been turned into mutants and are probably being targeted by a bunch of radical, racist psychopaths as we speak! And he…" a look of anguish crossed Johnny's face, "He doesn't seem to care."

Johnny seemed to sag as he leaned against the nearby wall before lowering himself to the ground. "He hasn't seemed to care about anything since Mom died."

"That's not true Johnny," Sue said as she sat down next to him, "He cares about us both as much as he ever has. You saw the news reports, Metropolis is in shambles right now. He doesn't want to send you back because he's scared of what might happen if he did. He's just worried about is all. It's my fault you're here anyway; I'm the one who wanted you to come."

"Aw…don't say that Sue." Johnny replied.

"It's true, and don't say I don't care about your friends because I do. I'm just about as heartbroken as you are. They're great guys. Especially Peter."

"Eck…you're just saying that because you got a thing for brainy guys." Johnny said while making a face.

"Hey," she chuckled, elbowing him, "I like what I like, okay?"

As she said that, a man walked up to them, his shadow casting over them.

"Is everything all right, Dr. Richards?" the man asked. Sue looked up, slightly confused, still not used to her new last name. She rubbed the wedding ring on her finger unconsciously.

The man standing before them was in his mid-twenties, with crew cut, blonde hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in an Air Force officer's uniform and stood rigidly before them.

"No, everything's fine, Captain Adams," she said as she stood up, her brother following suit, "I was just talking to my brother, is all."

"Of course, ma'am" he said, apologetically, "I believe they're waiting for you in the laboratory."

"All right, thank you Captain," Sue said as she headed towards the lab, her brother and the captain following.

Walking through the door they had exited from a few minutes before, they found themselves in a large laboratory. Numerous, large computers dotted the room, each displaying numerous equations and simulations. As they entered, Sue heard shouting, causing her to sigh.

"Sounds like they're at it again," she commented as she watched two men arguing a few feet away.

One man was tall and lanky, appearing to be in his mid twenties. He had short, strait, brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a lab coat over a white button up shirt and brown pants, covering his lanky frame. He was arguing heatedly with tall, strongly built man apparently in his late twenties. He appeared to be of European descent with jet black hair and dark brown eyes, framed by an aristocratically handsome face. He wore an expensive looking, dark green turtle neck, and black pants.

"If you would just listen to me, Victor," the lanky man began with a mix between a plea and a shout.

"Do NOT presume you can talk to me like that, Richards!" Victor bellowed, sticking a finger in Richards' face, "I am royalty, and I expect to be treated as such, whether I am within my country's boarders or not. I have earned that right."

"By offing your dad and invading all the surrounding countries," Johnny said under his breath.

"Shush!" Sue said as she elbowed him, causing him to wince in pain.

"All I'm saying Vi-Your Majesty, is that if you reworked some equations and shifted the subspace locator a bit you could raise the device's power by-" Richards tried to explain but he was cut off when Victor went on another tirade.

"You dare to instruct me on how _my_ device works!?!" he snapped, "I designed it Richards! I know exactly how it does and doesn't work. If not for me and Latvaria, you wouldn't even have the portal machine!"

"Th-That's not what he's saying," said another voice. A young man, roughly the same age as Richards, walked up. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes, over which he wore a pair of glasses. He walked with a stooped posture, and appeared rather pale and sickly. He wore a green shirt and grey pants under his lab coat, which covered his thin frame.

"R-Reed's just trying to say that, he can make it run better," he said with a rather feeble voice.

"Who is to say that my machine can run better?" Victor demanded, marching up to the man, who paled slightly, "You, Banner? You miserable cretin."

"Hey! Leave him alone!" a feminine voice shouted. Running up to Banner's side was a young woman, roughly the same age as Sue, with shoulder length blonde hair done up in a bun and blue eyes. She wore a black blouse and a dark grey skirt under a lab coat, covering her small yet attractive frame. She grabbed Bruce's arm and positioned him behind her as she stared daggers at Victor.

"Bruce and Reed are just trying to help, Victor. They're not trying to show you up or anything. You don't have to be such a jerk about it!"

Victor leaned down until he was at eye level with the smaller woman, "I would be careful what I said in my presence if I were you, woman," he said threateningly.

"Is there are problem here?" a gruff voice asked. Turning, Victor found himself face to face, with a middle aged man in an Air Force officer's uniform. He appeared to be middle aged man with grey hair and mustache, and dark brown eyes. He stood straight and rigid before Victor, his arms clasped behind his back, showing his athletic frame. The insignia on his uniform announced his rank as General.

Flanking him were two other soldiers. On his left was Captain Adams. On his right was another man in a uniform identical to Adams'. He was tall and powerfully built, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Both soldiers stood slightly behind the general, arms clasped behind their backs.

"I would suggest you tell your daughter to mind her manners, unless you want an incident on your hands, General Ross." Victor spat, getting right in Ross' face.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, calmly. Victor gave a curt nod in response before turning and marching to another side of the lab. After he left, Ross grabbed the young woman's arm and dragged her to the side.

"What do you think your doing, Betty?" he whispered harshly.

"I was trying to put that creep in his place," she whispered back.

"That 'creep' happens to be the inventor of the device that you've been working on and a foreign dignitary!"

"That doesn't give him the right to bully Bruce like that!"

"Bruce-why do you stick up for that spineless worm anyway?"

"That 'spineless worm' happens to be one of the most brilliant men on the planet and my boyfriend, Dad"

"I know." Ross replied coldly.

At the same time, the larger soldier had walked over to Bruce's side.

"That guys a piece o' work, ain't he, Mop-Top?" he said with a gruff work rubbing Bruce's hair affectionately.

"Y-yeah, I guess he is, Ben," Bruce replied with a slight smile.

"The man is infuriating!" Reed steamed as he joined them, "How could a man so brilliant be so stubborn?"

"That's easy, Stretch," Ben said putting his hand on Reed's shoulder, "The guy's been spoiled his whole life. Gotten everything he wants when he wants. He ain't used to people disagreein' wit him."

"Don't worry, sweetie," Sue said as she walked up and wrapped her arm around Reed's, "I'm sure you can convince him to see it your way. Nobody can be that stubborn."

"You'd be surprised, Suzy," Ben grunted as Johnny joined them, "How's it goin', Hothead?" he asked with a joking tone.

"I'm good, Ben," Johnny said with a smirk.

"Glad you decided to rejoin us, son" a stern voice said. Turning, Johnny sighed as a middle-aged man with light brown hair and brown eyes, walked up to him. He wore a white button up shirt and brown pants under his lab coat. Bruce made a small, awkward, coughing noise before excusing himself and walking over to work station nearby, Ben following suit.

"Hey Dad. I'm good, thanks for asking," Johnny said stiffly.

"Don't you give me any lip young man!" Johnny's father said, agitatedly.

"There's no need to shout, Dr. Storm," Reed said, coming to Johnny's aid.

"No Reed, he needs to hear this. He's a young man now and it's about time he learned some responsibility. This is important work were doing here, Reed, and he has to learn that we can't just abandon it to go gallivanting across the country on a whim!"

"Dad, please. He's just worried about his friends, is all!" Sue said, trying to calm her father down.

"That's not what I'm getting at, Susan. What he needs is to get a good head on his shoulders, like your husband. I mean-"

"All right, Franklin, that's enough," a kind sounding voice said as an elderly man walked up to Franklin Storm and put his hands on his shoulders. The man had short, white hair and blue eyes, framed by a kind looking, wrinkled face. He wore a gray sweater and blue jeans under his lab coat, covering his frail frame.

"Don't you need to go check the readings for the energy output?" the man offered, helpfully.

"Yes," Franklin said with a shake of his head, "I should do that." With that, Franklin turned and walked to another part of the lab, but not before giving his son a sideways glance as he passed.

"Thank you, Dr. Stien," Sue thanked the old man.

"Think nothing of it, Susan," Dr. Stien said with a kindly smile, before turning to look at Johnny as he continued speaking, "I know how your father can get. And please, call me Martin,"

"Of course," Sue said with a small smile.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Martin excused himself as he walked over to where Bruce was standing.

Johnny was currently staring at the ground, a dejected look upon his face. Noticing this, Reed smiled sympathetically and placed his hand on Johnny's shoulder.

"Cheer up, Johnny," Reed offered, "Parents can be rough. I know exactly how you feel." Reed was about to continue when Johnny's head snapped up and gave Reed such a hateful look that made Reed lose the will to speak.

"You 'know how I feel?'" Johnny asked, incredulously as he jerked away from Reeds touch, "You don't know a goddamn thing about how I feel! How about you do me a favor, Reed and go play with your chemistry set and leave me the hell alone," With that Johnny turned and marched back out of the lab again, anger covering his face.

"Johnny, wait!" Sue shouted fruitlessly as her brother left. Watching him go, she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed heavily.

"I don't understand, Sue," Reed said, looking at the door Johnny had gone through with a look of confusion on his face "Sometimes I think your brother resents me."

"Well Reed, that's because….he does," Sue said softly, not looking at him.

"What!?!" Reed cried in surprise, whipping his head around to look at Sue, "Why?"

"Because Reed, you're smart, calm, collected, always eager to learn and Johnny's…well not. You're the son my father always wanted, and Johnny knows it." Sue sighed again, "He had the same problem when my father met his friend, Peter, though it wasn't nearly as bad."

"I-I never meant-" Reed scrambled for an explanation but was stopped by Sue, who laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I know Reed. This is in no way, your fault. If it's anyone's fault it's my father's."

"I have to make it up to him somehow Sue," Reed sighed, almost not hearing Sue, "I can't let him think I tried to steal his own father from him."

"You'll think of something, sweetie," Sue said as she kissed him on the cheek, "That's why I married you. Not because of this," she pointed to his head, "but because of this," she pointed to his heart. Reed could only smile warmly in response.

Martin walked over to where Bruce was standing, placing a hand on his shoulder when he got close enough.

"Family squabbles not your thing, Bruce?" Martin said with a hint of irony.

"Well you know me, Martin," Bruce said with a forced smile.

"I've worked with you long enough, haven't I?" Martin's face took on a serious expression, "I know you…and I knew your father." Bruce stiffened visibly, staring at the screen ahead of him with wide eyes.

"He can't hurt you anymore, Bruce" he whispered, "not unless you let his memory to continue to haunt you,"

"I know," Bruce said quickly, "I-I know,"

"Know what?" Betty said, cheerfully as she walked up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Nothing, my dear," Martin said, quickly, "I was just telling Bruce here about my time at Harvard."

"Oh, one of those 'glory day' stories, huh?" she said, teasingly.

"Yeah," Martin said slowly, "Something like that. Now Bruce, didn't we need to check out the cooling system on the device?"

"Y-Yeah, you're right, let's go do that," Bruce agreed.

"I'll join you two as well," Betty said, "I…need to get away from my dad for awhile,"

"No problem, my dear," Martin agreed, leading them too the door, "just follow us,"

As they approached the door, Reed step up to them and placed his hand on Bruce's shoulder.

"Hey Bruce," he said, friendly, "I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out back there with Victor,"

"Hey, no problem, Reed" Bruce replied with a smile, "That's what friends are for, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Reed said while smiling in return.

"Come along, people we have-oops!" Martin walked backwards out of the door and accidentally bumped into another person walking through the hall. The person fell on their behind with a startled cry.

"HEY! Watch where you're going, man!" the person said. It was a man in his mid-twenties with curly brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a grey jumpsuit and brown boots over his skinny frame. A yellow, pushable, bucket and a mop sat near by.

"Oh I apologize" Martin paused to look at the man's name tag, "Mr. Sterns. I didn't see you there. Here let me help you up," He reached down to help Sterns up, but the janitor pushed his hand away.

"Hands off! I can get up myself," he said as he pushed himself to his feet, before grabbing his mop and bucket and walking quickly away.

"Wow Martin, what you do?" a new voice said from the other side of the hall. Turning around, he saw a man in his mid-twenties, with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes with a bemused look on his face. He wore a yellow shirt and black pants under his lab coat covering his skinny frame. Beside him was a pretty woman about the same age. She had short brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a white blouse and a brown skirt under her lab coat, showing her petite frame.

"Hello, Hank. I guess I should watch where I'm walking," Martin sighed as he put his hands on his hips.

"Still, Martin," the woman said, "that janitor seemed pretty peeved at you for just walking into him like that,"

Martin just shrugged in response, "I guess he must be having a bad day or something, Janet."

"Maybe, so where are you all off too?" Hank asked.

"We were just about to go check the cooling systems for the portal device," Betty explained.

"Oh, well, you guys have fun with that. Me and Janet here are going to go to the other side of the compound and do non-portal related things." Hank replied with a slightly nervous look in his eye.

"You never did like the idea of portals and teleportation, did you Hank?" Bruce asked jovially.

"If I know my husband, he's never liked the idea of having his molecules destabilized or ripping holes in reality. I think he watches too much television." Janet said with a smile.

"I do not," Hank said hurtfully.

"What's on tonight honey?" Janet asked, nonchalantly.

"Well at 8 there's CSI, then at 9 there's this show on the Sci-Fi…" Hank trailed off before looking at his wife with an annoyed expression.

"You're a tricky one, aren't you?"

"Yes I am dear, now come along we have work to do," she said as she began to drag him down a corridor, "See you all later and good luck with your test this afternoon!"

"Thanks, Janet!" Betty said in reply, waving to them as they left. Turning, she began to drag Bruce down the hall while Martin followed. "Now come on you two, we have a portal machine to prepare!"

_Meanwhile, in a small town near the base_

Outside a small 7-11, a young boy around sixteen sat on the hood of a red jeep. He a light brown hair, brown eyes and an athletic physique. He wore a red and black striped shirt and blue jeans along with red sneakers. He sat playing a harmonica, the music leaving him oblivious to the rest of the world.

As he played, there was a small ding as the doors to the convenience store opened and another young man exited. He had short, blond hair and blue eyes along with a skinny physique. He wore a yellow t-shirt over which he wore a red button down shirt with the front open and the sleeves rolled up. He wore a pair of cargo pants along with white sneakers. He carried a slushie in one hand and a hotdog in the other.

"Jeez Rick," the blonde said as he took a bite of his hotdog, "You keep practicing and you might finally learn how to play that damn thing."

Rick gave him an annoyed glare as he stopped playing. "Shut up, Ronnie," he said dryly.

"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is, man," he said with a smile as he sat down on the hood. After a few minutes he had finished his hot dog and was drinking the last of his slushie, looking up at the desert sky.

"…Man, I'm bored," he said with a tired sigh.

"Well what do you want to do?" Rick asked.

"I don't know man, there's not much to do around this crappy little town," Ronnie replied with a heavy sigh. "I mean the only thing that's interesting around here is that research base they go out in the desert." He paused for a moment as Rick began playing his harmonica again.

"THAT'S IT!" he shouted, sitting up quickly and startling Rick, causing him to hit a sour note and almost drop his harmonica

"What's it?" Rick asked quickly, surprise written on his face.

"We go check out the base! They're supposed to be doing this really big and flashy experiment today," Ronnie hopped of the jeep and began to wave his arms around excitedly.

"You sure?" Rick sent Ronnie a questioning glance.

"Yeah, I heard some of the science geeks at school talk about it yesterday."

"What is it?"

"I…forget" Ronnie replied, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Of course you did," Rick replied with a sigh, "How do you even know that we'll be able to see it? They've got a huge fence running around the whole complex, you know."

"Yeah I know, but I've been down their plenty of times, and there's plenty to be seen without trespassing," seeing Rick's skeptical look, Ronnie pressed on, "Come on Rick, it's not like we have anything better to do today."

Rick let out a sigh of defeat before smiling at Ronnie and climbing off the jeep's hood, "All right, I guess we could go check it out,"

Ronnie pumped his fist in triumph, before rushing to the jeep and hopping into the passenger's seat.

"I knew you'd see it my way, buddy!" he said with a wide grin.

"Yeah, yeah," Rick said as he climbed in the driver's side and started the jeep, "all I'm saying is that something better blow up to make this all worthwhile."

"Trust me Rick, this is going to be great," Ronnie replied as they pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the street, "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"

_Meanwhile, at the base,_

Sitting in the middle of a flat, dusty stretch of land sat a large mechanical monstrosity. It sat on a wide, circular platform, roughly fifty feet in diameter. Upon it, in a resting position, sat four metal ring, which when activated, would rise up and form a gyroscope-like design. Multiple panels displaying different bits of information and large wires feeding the machine with power sat around the circular base.

A lone figure; that of Victor von Doom, ruler of Latveria, stood looking at the machine, _his_ machine. When he found the plans among the belongings of his grandfather, he felt a strange calling to them, as if destiny itself was beckoning to him. Sometimes he wondered why his grandfather had designed a portal machine. Latveria had been a member of the Axis powers during the time of the Second World War, it was perfectly plausible that his grandfather, a scientific genius like himself, had designed the portal for them. But what possible reason could the Axis have wanted it built? From what he understood it was only used once, activated for only a few seconds before it was destroyed, though the facts about the event were closely guarded and even he was lucky to learn that much. In the end it didn't matter what his grandfather had wanted to do with it. He took the plans and using modern science, updated it to the glorious work of machinery before him. The machine was fully and truly his…despite the fact that some interlopers, like that fool, Richards, tried to make their own "improvements" to it.

They were lucky he was even here. If Latveria had possessed the special materials needed to power the device, he wouldn't have needed to work with these imbeciles. But seeing as the United States had what he needed and getting it by his more…secretive means would have raised too many questions when he finally activated, here he was.

It was all worth it though. Here before him stood the culmination of his and his grandfather's genius. A machine capable of ripping the vary fabric of space apart. Walking around the device, he admired its sleek beauty. Though the U.S. excuses for scientists were poor, its craftsmen deserved all the praise in the world. The seamless connection of the panels and the sleek curves of the rings were a marvel to behold. Indeed, the U.S. kept its reputation as a working man's country. He would have to look into finding the metal workers who constructed the device after all was said and done. He would enjoy having men like these construct future projects for him. After all, the men who built the device were much like him, masters of their craft. Men who knew their destinies and ran towards it with open arms, finding greatness.

Sighing as he stopped to examine the display panels on the machine, he paused to look at the readouts. Blinking in confusion, he looked closer. He could have sworn the numbers on the panel had been correct a moment ago. They almost seemed to waver before his eyes, changing into a different set of numbers. Confused, Victor rubbed his eyes and looked again, but they remained as he they were.

He wrote it off as some sort of trick of the light. It made little matter. What did matter was that they were wrong now. Snorting in annoyance, he activated the panel and proceeded to enter the correct number sequence. No doubt the fool Richards had tried to make his "improvements" on the machine. Luckily, he was here to correct them. Nodding in satisfaction, Victor turned away from the consol and began making his way back to the facility. As he walked he didn't notice the world shift around him, almost as if his vision was coming back into focus. Nor did he notice a group of figures watching from a hill a long way off.

"Is it done, Grigori?" asked the cold voice of Blackheart. He was dressed in a black trench coat with a black shirt, black boots and black pants underneath. He paced restlessly as the others watched.

"Patience, Blackheart" came Brother Blood's rasping voice. He was completely covered by a blood red cloak wrapped around his frame, with a large hood pulled up to cover his head, while black gloves protected his hands from the burning sun. He sat crouched at the edge of the hill, watching Doom with his enhanced sight.

"Funny, Blood I would think you of all people would want to get out of the desert sun more than me," Blackheart snickered.

"That is where patience comes in," Blood shot back.

"It is done," said Grigori Rasputin in his calm, collected voice. He was dressed in a brown jacket, a black button up shirt and black pants, with dark sunglasses shading his eyes. For the past few minutes, he had been deep in concentration, generating an illusion capable of tricking even the great Victor von Doom. Besides him, dressed in his blue and gray bodysuit and his gas mask, stood Rasputin's constant companion and protector, Kroenen.

"And he is none the wiser?" Mordo asked from his seat on a large rock. He was dressed in a green, sleeveless shirt bearing his seal on the chest and black pants along with brown shoes.

"His pride will take care of that," Rasputin replied nonchalantly.

"What exactly did you do, anyway?" asked Blackheart.

"A subtle illusion to trick him into fixing something that did not require fixing,"

"So what did he do?"

"Changed the coordinates,"

"The coordinates?"

"Yes, they were originally set for the Dark Realm, which is mostly empty and, as far as he knows, harmless."

"So where did he change them too?" Blackheart asked with a raised eyebrow. Rasputin merely smiled in response. Blackheart's eyes widened in understanding.

"No," he said in an unbelieving tone, "The Source Cage? How is that even possible?"

"It hardly is. This nothing more than a test, to see if the device can indeed pierce into the Source Cage, though at best it will only be for a moment. But that will be all that is necessary for our master's plans to work. The device enabled us to reach into Limbo to snatch the master's son and bring him to this world. Now if it can pierce into the Source Cage, it will be all for his daughter to fulfill her destiny."

"And what happens if it does work? What will happen when the portal opens and the Chaos rushes out?" Blood asked.

"Well Brother Blood, a little Chaos never hurt anyone. Not us at least," he explained with a sinister smile, earning a chuckle from Blood.

"Speaking of chaos," Rasputin continued, as he turned and gestured towards the fence surrounding the facility, "It seems chance has decided to add a few more factors to the equation."

Blood looked where Rasputin gestured and saw two figures crawling through a hole in the fence and beginning to approach the device.

"Should we stop them?" Blood asked, standing up.

"No," Rasputin said with a shake of his head, "They are no threat to our plans. With the Chaos that is about to be released, this could prove useful to us in the future. We will have to wait and see, I suppose."

Turning again, he looked again to the main part of the facility and smiled again.

"Eyes front, gentlemen," he said as he stood up straighter, "The show is about to begin."

_Meanwhile,_

"Do you really think we should be doing this, Ronnie?" Rick asked hesitantly as they crawled through the small hole they had discovered in the fence surrounding the property.

"Relax, Rick" Ronnie replied reassuringly as he brushed the dirt off of his pant legs, "This will just give us a better view of whatever these eggheads are up to. It's not like they're setting a bomb off or anything."

Walking a few yards, they came to a steep incline that rose up a few feet. Climbing it quickly, they found a strange, large machine sitting a few yards away.

"Whoa," Ronnie said as he ran up to get a closer look.

"Ronnie, what are you doing, man?" Rick asked, a frightened tone in his voice as he edged back towards the incline.

"Dude, check this thing out," Ronnie said, ignoring the question, "What do you think it does?"

As if to answer the question, the machine suddenly sprung to life. A loud whirring sound could be heard as the metal rings floated upwards. Locking their axis into place, the rings began to spin in multiple directions, creating a ball of whirling metal. As it continued to spin, bolts of energy shot of in different directions while a large amount of energy gathered near the center, the air whipping around violently near the machine, kicking up dirt and debris. Suddenly, warning lights began to flash on the machine and a loud alarm could be heard.

"Whoa, what's happening!?!" Ronnie shouted over the noise.

"Who cares!?!" Rick shouted back as he ran up and grabbed his friend before proceeding to drag him away from the machine, "Let's get ou-"

Rick was cut off, however, when a large shockwave exploded from the machine, knocking both boy to the ground and causing them to black out.

_In the lab, a few minutes earlier_

General Ross stood in front of the gathered group of scientists, Captain Adams and Grimm flanking him. He was currently in a large metal room, computer panels ringing the room. The area he stood on was raised above the rest by a few feet, a small staircase to the side and railings ringing its edges. Two steel doors, one to the front of the room and one to the back, were the only exits. The room had no windows though small TVs sat in the upper corners of the room, displaying the device from varying angles. Johnny stood to the side, leaning against the railing as he watched, his father standing nearby.

"All right folks," Ross began, his voice stern and controlled, "We're about to begin the experiment, so I want all of you at your best. We pull this off and we'll have something truly revolutionary on our hands here. So do your best and let's get this thing started. Go to work."

With that, the scientist sprung into action as Ross turned to leave and watch from his private viewing area, leaving the captain's in his stead. Franklin Storm turned to follow him.

"You coming, son? We'll be able to see the experiment from the viewing room" he asked, turning back to look at Johnny, who hadn't moved.

"No thanks, I'd rather watch the eggheads do their thing from here," Johnny replied nonchalantly.

"Fine, just don't touch anything," Franklin replied curtly before turning and following Ross out the door.

Reed and Victor stood side by side at the main control panel.

"Beginning powering sequence," Victor stated as he punched the computer keys at blinding speed.

"Power conduits starting up," Sue replied, looking at her own panel.

"Cooling systems running efficiently," Betty added from her panel.

"Power conduits running at 50%" Sue spoke up again.

"System diagnostics green," Bruce said.

"Power conduits at full power," Sue stated again.

"Beginning generation sequence," Victor said as he imputed more codes.

"Disengaging security locks," Reed said.

"Security locks disengaged," Martin reported.

"Activating generator rings," Victor stated.

"Rings activated and axis locked," Reed reported.

"Beginning portal generation," Victor said.

"Process begun, rings in motion," Martin replied.

"Searching for dimensional rift," Reed said.

There was a few stressful moments when as all the scientists held their breath. This was the make or break point. A dimensional rift had to appear in the next few moments or all that they had worked for would be for nothing. Suddenly, there was a light beep as new information appeared on Reed's control panel.

"Dimensional rift created!" Reed said, ecstatically.

"Amplifying!" Victor replied, inputting another series of codes.

"Estimated portal creation in three…two…one!" Reed counted down. Right as he finished, the room shook slightly as the shockwave of the portal opening passed over them. The scientists immediately broke out into cheers at the success of the device. Sue and Betty hugged each other and screamed happily. Bruce began hopping up and down, shouting "It works!" repeatedly as Martin laughed. Johnny clapped his hands and let out a woop at the excitement, while a beaming Ben slapped Adams on his shoulder, earning a small smile from the soldier. Victor looked in wonderment at the display before him, his mind reeling with ecstatic thoughts.

"Victor," Reed said, snapping the monarch out of his thoughts. Turning to Reed, he found him offering him a handshake.

"Well done," Reed congratulated him.

"You did your part well, Richards," he said as he took Reed's hand and shook it, "just don't let it go to your head," Reed had the dignity to chuckle at the comment.

"Hey guys!" Johnny's voice called out, having moved to the corner of the room and looking at one of the TV sets, "I think there're people out there!"

"What, that's impossible," Martin said as he walked up besides the boy and looked at the TV. As he looked though, he noticed two prone bodies near the machine, lying flat of their stomachs as debris was kicked up from the machine and the portal.

"Oh my Lord!" he shouted, turning back to the others, "There are people out their, two of them!"

A collective gasp ran through the crowd. "We have to do something!" Betty exclaimed.

"I'm shutting down the portal," Reed said as he began typing commands into the console in front of him.

"What?" Victor said, whirling around, "No you're not!"

"Victor there are people out there!" Reed exclaimed.

"You think I care!?! This is the single most important event in human history! I'm not shutting it down just because two imbeciles wandered onto the testing field."

"Victor do you realize what you're saying? The discharge from the portal alone could kill them if it struck them, to say nothing about whatever energy might be coming out of the portal itself. We have to shut it down!" Martin exclaimed.

"Sacrifices have to be made for the good of science. You all know this!"

"What you're talking about is murder Victor," Reed said, his eyes narrowing.

"I told you, Richards, do not address me so familiarly. I said we're not shutting it down, so we are not shutting it down!" Victor roared as he shoved Reed, causing the scientist to stumble backwards.

"Hey!" the gruff voice of Ben Grimm said as he came up behind Victor and grabbed him in a full nelson, "That's quite enough a that, your majesty,"

"Unhand me, you idiotic brute!" Victor shouted as he struggled against the soldier's grip.

"We don't have time for this! I'm going to help those people so will someone please shut the damn thing down!" Martin yelled as he rushed towards the front door and, inputting a code into the panel next to it, opened it, which revealed the rocky desert of the testing area. Steadying himself against the gusting winds, he ran through the doorway outside.

"Martin, wait!" Bruce said as he ran out the door after the older scientist.

"Nate!" Ben shouted as he struggled with Victor, "Go with them!"

"Right," Captain Adams nodded as he rushed out the door, following the two scientists.

"Reed. Can you shut it down?" Ben asked as he pinned Victor.

"Yes, I'll get right on that," Reed responded as he ran up to the consol and began typing in commands.

"NO!!" shouted as he shoved a surprised Ben off with a mighty heave and rushed at Reed, "Don't touch it! I won't let you take it away from me!"

With a shout, he punched Reed on the side of his face, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Reed!" Sue shouted as she rushed to his side, helping the dazed scientist sit up, "Are you crazy, Victor!?!" she shouted at the other man.

Victor ignored her as he studied the screen in front of him. Red warning lights flashed all around the screen as numbers reeled past on it.

"What!?!" Victor said incredulously, shaking his head as if he was snapping himself awake, "This isn't right! These are the coordinates I set! THIS ISN'T RIGHT!!"

_Meanwhile_

Martin made his way across the testing area, his arms held in front of his face to protect his eyes from the debris kicked up by the open portal. Bruce and Nathan trailed a little behind him, mimicking his action.

As he drew closer, he could make out two figures lying prone near the machine, slowly stirring as they tried to get to their feet. His eyes were drawn to the swirling ball of energy that was the portal, currently projecting a harsh red light onto the area. The spectacle brought a single thought to his head.

"Why haven't they shut the damned thing off yet!?!" he shouted to no one in particular.

"Maybe they're having trouble?" Bruce suggested.

"Well, whatever the reason, we need to get the thing shut down soon, or who knows what could happen. It's already been on longer than we were planning anyway," Turning, he looked back at his two compatriots.

"You!" he said, pointing at Nate, "You no how to shut the thing down manually right?"

"I was trained to, sir," the soldier responded.

"Good, you shut the damn thing down, and Bruce and I will get those folks out of here. Alright?"

"Alright, sir," Nate agreed, before rushing towards the machine, while the two scientists headed towards the people. As they approached, the two people managed to get to their feet, revealing that they were two teenaged boys.

"What are you kids doing out here!?!" Martin shouted as he helped one, a blond, to his feet.

"We…wanted to watch….the experiment," the boy said, groggily.

"Well we appreciate the interest, but this is no place for you boys to be," turning he looked as Bruce helped the other boy to his feet, "Bruce, lets get them over to that ridge there. He can take cover while that soldier shuts down the machine."

At that time, Captain Adams had made his way to the machine and was quickly typing in the shutdown commands. As he was about to finish, a loud screeching noise cut through the air, a noise that shocked the captain as it was a sound that had never touched his ears before and when it did, it shook him to the core. Looking up at the portal, he found himself caught in the gaze of a gigantic yellow eye, which took up the entirety of the portal. As he made eye contact with it, his mind suddenly became assaulted with a chaotic assortment of images and sounds. The effect was blinding and extremely painful. Captain Adams collapsed to his knees as he let out a loud cry while gripping his head, which felt like it was splitting open. Another unearthly screech ripped through the air as a flash of light came from the portal. Along with the flash came a torrent of sickly yellow energy. It poured over Nathanial Adams like a tidal wave, giving him enough time to stretch his arms upwards towards the sky before he disappeared, his entire body seemingly disintegrated by the force of the blast.

The two scientists looked up at the alien screech just in time to see the blast of energy pour out of the portal and head right towards them.

"MOVE!!" Bruce shouted, as he shoved the young brunette boy in front of him, causing him to fall over the side of the ridge, to shelter. At the same time, Martin was unable to reach the ridge and instead threw the other boy to the ground and collapsed on him, covering the boy's body with his body.

After coming to a stop at the bottom of the ridge, Rick Jones managed to look up at the top of the ridge, where he saw the scientist who had saved him throw his arms up into the air, his mouth opened wide in a pain riddled scream that was drowned out by the sound of the blast hitting him, the light from the powerful energy lighting up the scene for Rick to see before he collapsed again into unconsciousness.

"THIS ISN'T RIGHT!" Victor screamed again as he pounded on the terminal. Just then, a loud, unearthly, screeching noise pierced the air as the lights and instruments flickered in the room.

"What was that!?!" Betty cried.

Ben rushed to the door to see for himself, only to noticeably stiffen as he gazed outside, a paralyzing sense of fear enveloping him.

"Oh my God," he whispered to himself, "Close the door. CLOSE THE DOOR!!!" he shouted hysterically as he began to try to pull the heavy metal door close. Reed jumped forward and quickly began entering the code into the door panel, but found to his horror that it appeared to have been shorted out by whatever had messed with the equipment moments before.

"GET DOWN!!!" Ben yelled as he tried to cover the rest of the opening with his body. The others did as he asked, before a bright light flashed through the room and they knew no more.

_Sanctum Sanatorium, _

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Stephen Strange cried as he collapsed into a heap, sweat running down his face and his breathing harsh. Throwing the door to his meditation chamber open, Wong ran quickly into the room.

"MASTER!" he cried rushing to Stephen's side, helping him regain his composure, "Master, what is wrong!?!"

"It-it can't be…it's impossible….no one could have-!" Stephen mumbled incoherently.

"Stephen!" Dr. Fate shouted as he ran into the room, "Stephen what-!" Fate stopped short, his breath hitching in his throat. On the ground around Stephen was burned the image of a large eye, with Stephen sitting directly in the middle of its iris.

"Shuma-Gorath," Stephen mumbled before he collapsed again, Fate to shocked to do anything but watch.

A/N: Hi True Believers! Left on a bit of a cliff hanger there didn't I? Don't worry, more action and heroics in the near future, just wanted to get all the boring, introduction stuff out of the way first. Hope you enjoy the (relatively short) chapter and bonus points to those who can name all the new introductions made in this chapter. Please review! Until next time, Later True Believers!


	14. This Monster

**Chapter 14: This Monster**

_Never forget what a man says to you when he is angry._

-Henry Ward Breecher

_September 18__th__ 2012, S.T.A.R.S Research Lab_

"Ben?" a voiced called out from what sounded like far away. Ben groaned as he stirred in what felt like a bed. His head spun, chaotic images flashing through his mind. His limbs felt heavy as he moved them, while his skin had a strange, crusty feel to it. Groggily, he opened his eyes, revealing the stark white walls and bright lights of the infirmary, a private room in the infirmary to be exact. As his eyes cleared, he saw Sue sitting in a metal chair next to the bed he laid in. She was dressed in a white t-shirt and white pajama pants, her blonde hair done up in a pony tail. Her blue eyes were wide with a worried look on her face.

"Suzie?" he asked, his head still swimming and his throat dry.

"Yeah Ben, it's me," she replied, slightly hesitantly.

"Wha-What happened?" he asked, slowly moving his hand to his head.

"There….There was an accident. With the machine. It unleashed some sort of energy that hit us," She explained as she watched his arm with a frightened look.

"Energy?" he asked as he rubbed his head, which felt strangely rough. Now that he thought about, he couldn't seem to feel his middle and ring fingers as he ran his fingers over his forehead.

"Yes, now Ben, I need to ask you not to panic."

"Panic? Why would I panic?" he asked, a confused look on his face as he continued to feel his forehead.

"Well, you see Ben, the energy…it changed us."

"Changed us? Whadda ya me-" then he felt it. A crevice in his forehead. Following it with his finger, he discovered it formed a small circle. Feeling more, he discovered that his forehead was covered with them, forming a sort of rough, scaly hide. Feeling the rest of his head he found that all his hair was gone and more shocking, so were his ears. Bringing his hands in front of his face, he saw that they had changed immensely. His hands and arms had almost doubled in size, and were now covered in a hide of what looked like orange colored rocks. His fingers seemed to have fused together, leaving with two large fingers and a thumb on each hand. Looking down, he saw that his naked chest was now similarly covered in orange rocks. He also noticed that he was taller than before, possibly reaching seven feet if he stood. His arms and chest were much broader and more powerful looking as well.

"G-Get me a mirror," he said, looking at his now shaking hands.

"Ben I-I think-"

"GET ME A MIRROR!!!" he roared, tears welling in his eyes. Sue let out a yelp of fear as she reached to the bedside table and grabbed a mirror. She handed it to Ben with trembling and, to Ben's astonishment, disappearing hands.

"Sue! Y-You're hands," Ben cried out in shock, causing her to cry out and drop the mirror into his lap.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh nonononono," Sue jabbered fearfully, as her hands disappeared from view, quickly followed by the rest of her body, leaving only her clothes and her hair clip visible.

"Not again, not again," she said with a panicked voice.

"Sue!" Ben cried, slowly becoming more and more hysteric, "What's happening to us!?! What's-" Ben stopped dead as he looked at the mirror in his lap. He stared blankly at the mirror. All the hair was gone and his skin was covered in the orange rocks that covered the rest of his body. His brow seemed to have slopped forward similar to a Neanderthal and his jaw had grown noticeably larger. He also saw that his ears indeed seemed to be gone while his nose seemed small compared to the rest of his enlarged face. In fact the only thing that looked actually looked like him anymore were his bright blue eyes.

"Oh my god," he whispered, hoarsely, while picking up the mirror and bringing it to his face, "Oh god, god…I'm a…a monster," he squeezed his eyes shut in a mixture of sadness, shock and anger. He squeezed his hands in a similar manner, crushing the small mirror in the process. With a cry of anguish, he threw the remains of the mirror away. The sound of Sue's voice crying out in shock came from the same direction and the broken mirror seemed to bounce of an invisible surface with a large ping before clattering to the floor.

Roaring, Ben rolled out of the bed, which loudly creaked from his weight. Looking at the bed, Ben turned and slammed in his fist against it, in an attempt to burn off some of his aggression. Instead however, when he slammed his fist against it, the frame broke with a large clang, snapping in half and collapsing to the ground. He brought his hands up to his face, looking at them in horror, before he became enraged again and kicked the beds remains, sending them flying across the room and imbedding them in the wall.

There was a whooshing noise as the doors to the infirmary opened and General Ross walked in with two soldiers in full gear flanking him, their automatic rifles trained on him.

"Captain Grimm stand down!" Ross ordered.

"Jesus Christ, look at that thing," one of the soldiers said, his hands shaking as he stared at Ben. Ben turned to glare at the soldier, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"SHUT UP!!!" Ben bellowed as he picked up the bed side table and hurled it at the soldier. The man screamed and dove out of the way, while the table managed to punch a hole through the wall behind him, clattering into the hallway on the other side.

"JESUS!" the other soldier cried before opening fire on Ben, despite Ross' shouting at him not too. Ben roared as he covered his eyes by crossing his arms in front of his face. The bullets bounced harmlessly off his rocky exterior, not even leaving a scratch. He roared again as he charged towards the soldier, who screamed as he continued to shoot at Ben, having no effect.

"BEN NO!! STOOOOP!!" Sue's voice cried out before an invisible barrier seemed to spring up between Ben and the soldier. His bullets bounced off the barrier harmlessly as did Ben when he went crashing into it, sending him crashing to the floor. There was a loud cry of pain before Sue became visible again as she collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Blood was slowly leaking from her nose.

Ben groaned as he began to rise up off the floor.

"Soldier!" Ross barked, turning to the soldier that had been shooting at Ben moments before, "Use the goddamn knockout gas on him like I told you to. I want him down and out, NOW!!"

The soldier quickly reached into a pouch on his belt and took out what looked like a spray can before running up to Ben. Ben looked up at him groggily. The soldier took the opportunity to spray Ben in the face with the can. Ben cried out in pain as he reeled back away from the soldier, pushing himself up against the wall as he held a hand to his face. He took his hand away, but found that his vision had gone blurry and his reactions were suddenly very slow.

"Christ, that dosage could take down a bull elephant! How is he still standing!?!" the soldier cried out in shock.

"I don't care just hit him again, damnit!" Ross ordered.

The soldier ran up to Ben and sprayed him in the face again, Ben's reactions slowed to where he couldn't defend himself. Ben cried out again, and swung at the soldier, who managed to duck out of the way, letting out a frightened yell. Ben stumbled around the room deliriously. He swayed dangerously from side to side while moaning weakly, before collapsing to one knee.

"Put him down soldier!" Ross yelled again. Ben only had time to look up before the soldier sprayed him again, blinding him and sending him reeling into unconsciousness.

_Later_

Ben eyes fluttered open, his vision adjusting to the lighting of the room he was now in. It resembled an interrogation room, with concrete walls and a metal door. A single light hung from the ceiling above him, casting a single halo of light on him. He attempted to move his hand to his head, but found them secured to the heavy metal chair he was sitting in. His ankles were similarly attached to the chair, which itself was attached to the ground.

Ben growled as he began to struggle against his bonds, causing a loud creaking noise as the metal began to bend.

"Ben, wait!" the sound of Reed's voice came from the doorway as the heavy metal door opened.

"Reed?" Ben asked as he looked up. He saw Reed standing in the doorway, dressed in an outfit like what Sue was wearing before. He also seemed…taller than Ben remembered him being.

"Yeah, Ben, it's me," he replied with a slightly hesitant smile on his face as he walked into the room towards Ben.

"Don't! Don't come any closer, Reed!" Ben pleaded, fear evident in his eyes as he tried to put distance between him and Reed.

"What? Why, Ben?" Reed asked, a confused look on his face as he stopped in his tracks.

"Why? Why!?! Jeez Reed, can ya even see me? Look at me!" Ben said, gesturing the best he could with his bound hands, "Look at what I've turned into. I'm not a man anymore, I'm a monster!! I'm not a someone…I'm…I-I'm a some…thing," Ben's head fell as he began to weep, his tears rolling down his stone cheeks.

As Ben continued to cry, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Reed's hand upon his shoulder. Ben's expression changed to shock however, when he noticed that Reed hadn't moved from his spot roughly five feet away. Instead, his arm had stretched to what should be an impossible length.

"Jesus Reed!" Ben cried, pulling back slightly in shock, "What happened to you!?!"

"Same thing that happened to you, Ben," Reed answered as he reeled in his elongated arm as he walked over to Ben, "That…energy that came out of the portal changed us. It was made up of what I can only describe as "unstable molecules" that changed our basic DNA. In short, we're not technically human anymore,"

"I coulda told you that," Ben said, sadness in his voice.

"Ben, listen to me," Reed said, forcing Ben's head up to look him in the eyes, "You're not a monster. No matter what people say, you're still the same old gruff and rough around the edges Ben Grimm from Brooklyn, New York and no amount of multi-dimensional energy or unstable molecules can change that. Okay?"

"Yeah,"

"Hey, I promise you, that I will do everything in my power to find a way to change you back. All right?"

"Ya really mean it?" Ben said, his eyes full of hope.

"I really do. That's what best friends are for right?"

"I guess so," Ben said with a grin, before he adjusted his seating uncomfortably, "Any chance you can get me outta here. Stretch?" he asked with a lopsided grin.

"Yeah, that's what I came here for. The general thought you might be dangerous, but I convinced him that if I could calm you down, we could let you out." Reed explained, "So you willing to play nice now, Ben?"

"Sure Stretch, whatever you say,"

"Good, then we can get working on finding you a cure, and the first step towards that is running some test!" Reed said with evident excitement.

"Why doesn't that sound all that great to me?" Ben mused as Reed undid the clasps of his chair.

_A few minutes later_

Ben and Reed walked through a pair of double doors leading into the lab near the center of the complex. Ben had spent the entire trip with his eyes glued to the floor in order to avoid the surprised and shocked stares of the people they walked by. Entering the lab, they found it to be much larger than some of the others, with a high ceiling and a large open floor, peppered with physical testing equipment and examination tables.

Dotted around the room where multiple scientists, examining different readings on the machines or papers in their hands. Also in the room were a number of the others involved in the accident. Johnny and Bruce sat on examining tables being looked over by doctors and scientists. Sue and Betty were in another part, simply talking to each other. In another part was a person Ben didn't recognize, but that was because he was covered largely in bandage wrappings, obscuring his features. All of them wore white t-shirts and pants like Reed.

Sue was first to noticed the two's arrival.

"B-Ben!" she called out a bit, hesitantly, alerting the others to their presence as well. She walked up to the two of them with Betty in tow, stopping a noticeable distance away from him.

"Sue!" he replied as his eyes became downcast again, "Jeez, Suize, I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have freaked out on you like that."

"I-It's all right, Ben," she replied, becoming more comfortable with Ben and walking closer to him, "You had every right to freak out. I was so scared when I first woke up and found out I was see through."

"Yeah, big guy," came Johnny's voice as he walked over, a thermometer in his mouth, "I mean if I woke up looking like you, I'd freak too. Hell, I almost freak when I first saw you anyway."

"Johnny!!" Sue shouted while smacking him on the back of his head, causing the thermometer to fall out, while Ben looked at Johnny, his eyes flashing dangerously, "That was so insensitive! Apologize, right now!"

Johnny rubbed the back of his head with his eyes downcast, "Yeah, sorry, Ben. I wasn't trying to be mean or anything. Just trying to lighten the mood, is all."

"It's okay, Hothead," Ben replied, his features softening, "You should let your words bounce around in your head a bit longer before you spit 'em out, all right?"

"Yeah, I get you,"

"Hey Johnny, you feeling alright?" Ben asked as he narrowed his eyes at Johnny, "You look a little…flushed,"

Johnny's skin seemed to have taken on a reddish hue to it, though Johnny showed no signs of discomfort. At the same time, Reed kneeled down and picked up the thermometer and looked at it, before his eyes widened in surprise.

"Johnny your temperature is 123!!" he exclaimed.

"…That's bad isn't it?" Johnny speculated, an almost clueless look on his face.

"Johnny, you should be dead!" Sue cried.

"…oh"

"How do you feel?" a doctor asked, having run over during the shouting.

"I feel fine," he said, shrugging. Then, to everyone's surprise, his hair promptly lit on fire.

"JOHNNY!" Betty screamed.

"WHAT!?!" he screamed back, startled.

"YOUR HAIR'S ON FIRE!!!" Reed yelled.

Johnny looked up and then promptly did the dumbest thing possible and grabbed his head with his hands.

"HOLY CRAP!!!" he yelled, pulling his hands away…discovering his hands were fully on fire as well, "HOLY CRAP!!!"

He began to thrash around wildly, causing everyone around him to scatter. As he trashed about, the flames climbed up his arms rapidly, burning his clothes off as it covered him entirely. Soon enough, his appearance became that of a red skinned person, with yellow, pupil-less eyes and a flaming aura surrounding him.

"I'M ON FIRE!! I'M ON FIRE!!! IM…on…fire?" Johnny slowly began to calm down before stopping and looking at his arm and chest, "I'm…I'm actually okay,"

"Okay!?!" Sue exclaimed, "JOHNNY, YOU'RE ON FIRE!!!"

"Yeah," he replied, "but it doesn't hurt. Like, at all."

"How is that possible?" Reed questioned, moving closer, though the heat of the flames kept him at a distance.

"Well you can stretch like you're made out of taffy, Sue can turn invisible and Ben over there is a walking rockslide. You tell me, egghead," Johnny replied, sarcastically.

"So the unstable molecules did this," Sue said as she approached Johnny as well, "Can you figure out anyway to turn it off?"

Johnny looked at his hands and then the rest of his body closely, studying every detail before looking back at his sister.

"I have absolutely no idea"

Just then, a still panicked scientist ran up to Johnny with a fire extinguisher, and sprayed him down, covering Johnny with white foam and dousing the flames covering his body.

Johnny looked at himself, now covered in the foam, which concealed his nudity, and saw that he appeared to not be burnt. "Well, that works," he said with a smile.

"…I'm going to need to run some more tests." Reed said as he walked towards another part of the lab.

_Later_

"So Mop-Top, what's your story?" Ben asked Bruce. Ben was currently lifting weights as a test of his strength. Multiple sensors where attached to his skin feeding information to a nearby machine. He was lifting a dumbbell laden down with a ridiculous amount of weight. The gathered scientists, including Bruce watched in amazement as Ben effortlessly lifted several hundred pounds, no sign of exertion on his face.

"W-what you mean, Ben?" he asked, still slightly startled.

"I mean what did this weird mumbo jumbo that you guys keep talking about do to you?"

"Oh um…nothing, so far at least, all we can tell is that there is a large amount of the energy in my system. My blood seems saturated with it. It's not doing anything right now though."

"Heh," Ben smirked, "some guys got all th' luck," he then turned to the other scientists as he let the weights drop to the floor with a loud boom, "Are we done here yet?"

_Later_

"So, what about Betty?" Ben asked. He was currently standing in front of a large machine. It had was square in shape with a large padded circle on the front attached to spring, which Ben was supposed to punch in order to measure his strength.

"Similar to me, though her blood seems less irradiated," Bruce explained.

"That's good, I guess. How about Adams and that friend of yours, Martin?"

"Um…" Bruce was hesitant, scratching the back of his head and looked away from Ben, "Both of them disappeared in the explosion, no one knows what happened to them, their bodies were just gone when they found me and those two kids."

"Ah Jeez," Ben replied, his shoulders slumping and his eyes downcast, "Adams was a good guy. I wasn't really all that friendly with him, but I knew he was good soldier and a real stand up guy," Ben then looked Bruce in the eyes, "I know that Martin was a close friend of yours, Bruce. All I can say is that I'm sorry," he put one of his large hands on Bruce's shoulders in an effort to comfort him.

"Thanks Ben, that helps," Bruce replied with a smile.

"No problem," he said, removing his hand, "So what's up with those two kids,"

"Both are in our medical facilities. We informed their families and they should probably be with them by now. One of them is in a coma, but the other's awake, though he hasn't been discharged yet,"

"Well that's good news," Ben replied.

"All right, Captain Grimm, if you could hit the pad as hard as you can, we can take our reading," one of the scientists said.

"All right, here it goes," Ben replied, before winding up and throwing a large haymaker at the machine, throwing all his weight behind it. When his fist connected, his punch tore straight through the pad, springs and all, and connected with the machine itself, ripping a huge hole in the metal paneling and denting it heavily, crumpling it like tin foil. The remaining force left from the blow ripped the machine off of the floor and sent it sailing through the air and crashing through a steel wall, dragging the computers hooked up to it with it. Hitting the ground outside, it bounced of the solid rock, cratering it, before flipping through air. A few seconds later, a large boom could be heard as the machine made contact with the ground again, out of sight. Everyone in the room stared dumbfounded at the hole the machine left in its wake.

"Oops,"

_Later,_

"Okay, so what about th' invisible man over there?" Ben asked as he ran on a heavy duty treadmill, the sound of his feet thundering as he went. A group of people, including contractors, where now gathered around the hole he had made in the wall, assessing the damage. He had been running on the treadmill for over two hours and still showed no signs of fatigue.

"Hmm?" Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"The guy covered in bandages," Ben explained, nodding to the man, who was lifting weights for some scientists, though not as much as Ben had been lifting.

"Oh, that's Victor," Bruce stated.

"Victor!" Ben exclaimed, "Jeez, what happened?"

"It seems that the unstable molecules overloaded one of the power terminals, it exploded right in his face. He suffered terrible burns all over his body, though he doesn't seem to feel them, which is why they only wrapped him in bandages, to protect from infection. He seems to have gained a measure of superhuman strength as well."

"How's he takin' it?" Ben asked. There was a large crash as Victor through the weights to the ground with a cry of rage before he yelled something at the scientists and stormed out of the lab.

"Not so well," Bruce deadpanned.

"Coulda fooled me,"

Bruce turned back towards Ben with a chuckle, "Well, Ben, I'm going to go check on those two kids. You think you'll be okay by yourself?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ben said, waving his hand dismissively as he ran, "I'll be fine. See ya later Mop-Top,"

"See ya," Bruce replied as he walked away, exiting the lab.

After a few minutes, he arrived at the main part of the facility's medical center, where the two boys were being kept. Inside, he was surprised to find one man sitting in folding, steel chair between the two beds the boys were in. He had short blond hair and blue eyes. He had rugged features, with a short stubbly beard. He wore a button up flannel shirt, opened and rolled up to the shoulders, over a white t-shirt. He also wore a pair of dirty jeans and black boots. He looked up at Bruce as he entered, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Can I help you?" he asked abruptly.

"Excuse me?" Bruce replied, caught off guard.

"I asked "can I help you?"" he repeated, rising out of his chair, "You're dressed in the same hospital get up that the boys are in, so you're not a doctor and there's no one else being treated here, so what do you want?"

"Relax, Mr. Raymond," the slightly weak voice of the brown haired boy came from his bed as he weakly sat up, "This is the scientist who saved me. I guess he just wanted to come check up on me."

Mr. Raymond eyed Bruce for a few moments longer before nodding gruffly and sitting back down. Bruce smiled hesitantly before walking over to the boy's bedside.

"What's up, doc?" he asked, with a smile.

"Just came to see how you were doing. I guess we never got properly introduced," Bruce held out his hand, "Bruce Banner,"

The young boy smiled and took Bruce's hand "Rick Jones,"

"Good to meet you, Rick," Bruce said with smile

Rolling over, Rick indicated towards the boy in the other bed, "That's my buddy, Ronnie Raymond, and that's his dad, Randal."

Randal nodded towards Bruce who nodded back.

"So, how are you feeling Rick?" Bruce asked.

"Good, though the doctor's are saying they're finding weird stuff in my blood, do you know anything about that?"

"Yeah, we think they're a sort of unstable molecule from the machine. There's a lot more in my blood than in yours probably."

"Yeah, thanks for that save back there, Doc" Rick thanked him.

"Don't mention it, Rick" Bruce said before looking around the room again.

"Rick, where's your family?" he asked.

Rick looked away from him as he replied, his voice a bit sad, "My parents died when I was a kid. I don't have any other family. I kind of live at an orphanage."

"Oh god Rick, I'm sorry! I didn't know," Bruce replied, panicked.

"Relax, Doc, how could you? You just met me, remember?" Rick said with a chuckle, making Bruce relax, "Besides, it's not that bad. I got a roof over my head, and all the people that work there are great, I mean I practically grew up with them. And I still do all the normal teenage stuff, like go to school and work at a grocery store. I mean, I even own a car!"

"Well, I guess that is pretty good," Bruce commented with a smile. Looking up, he saw Randal looking at his son, concern written on his face. Bruce walked over to his side.

"How are you doing, Mr. Raymond?" he asked.

"Can you tell me what's wrong with my son?" Randal stated bluntly.

"Um…Well, the reason he hasn't woken up yet could be explained by numerous things," Bruce said, walking over to the front of the bed and checking Ronnie's chart, "as for the rest of him…oh,"

"Is there a problem, doctor?" Randal asked.

"Um…his body temperature is rather high, though it doesn't seem to be affecting his other systems," Bruce explained.

"That's…good right?" Randal suggested.

"Well, he's in no danger from it, though there was another boy caught up in the accident who showed similar signs. He…um…burst into flame not long ago."

The room became suddenly very quite as Rick and Randal stared at him.

"He was fine!" Bruce provided quickly, "The accident apparently made him fire proof. Though that doesn't protect those around him."

Randal looked at Bruce silently for a few moments before sighing, "What do you suggest, doctor?"

"I'll go show this to one of the doctors stationed here and have them move him to a safe location and monitor him for rapid temperature increases. Other than that, it should be fine, just be careful around him. If you smell smoke, I'd leave the general vicinity," with that Bruce took the chart and turned to leave, before pausing to talk again, "Get well soon, Rick, and I hope your son gets better, Mr. Raymond," then he smiled and walked out of the room.

"Later, Doc," Rick said, hesitantly, still surprised by what Bruce had said. Afterwards, his gaze fell upon Ronnie, his expression nervous. Randal noticed him staring and looked at him questioningly.

"What is it, Rick?" he asked.

"…Do you smell smoke?"

After leaving the room, he read the charts intently. As he read, he failed to look where he was going and bumped into someone, though to him it felt like he walked into a wall. Stumbling back, he looked to see what he had run into. In front of him stood the bandaged form of Victor von Doom.

"Watch where you're going Banner, you witless worm!" he barked, rage evident in his eyes.

"S-Sorry, V-Vic-" Bruce stuttered.

"You're "S-Sorry?"" Victor mocked, "By God Banner, if you didn't stand upright I would have suspected you had no backbone at all, not that it changes anything, you pathetic twit,"

Victor suddenly advanced on Bruce, forcing him against a wall and staring into his eyes, which Bruce noticed, with morbid fascination, were now a sickly shade of yellow.

"You say you're sorry, Banner?" he growled, his hot breath blasting against Bruce's skin, "Sorry like that idiot Richards for causing the accident. For putting this boy into a coma," he grabbed the chart from Bruce and waved it around as talked before throwing it violently to the floor.

"Is he sorry for killing two people!?! FOR RUINING MY FACE!?!" Victor bellowed as he violently banged Bruce against the wall. Victor scowled before letting go of Bruce and letting him slide to the ground.

"Pathetic," Victor spat before turning to walk away.

"Reed didn't do any of that," Bruce moaned as he lay on the floor.

"What was that?" Victor asked harshly as he whirled around to face Bruce.

"It wasn't Reed's fault that the accident happened," Bruce said as he picked himself off the ground, "He's not responsible for anything that happened,"

"Are you calling me a liar, Banner?" Victor said dangerously, leaning close to Bruce.

"No, I'm just saying you're wrong,"

_SMACK!_

The sound of the back of Victor's hand striking his face was deafening in Bruce's ears. Blinding pain shot through his head as he felt his nose break and blood began to pour out, splattering across the floor and the wall behind him as he spun with the force of the blow. His glasses went flying of his face and skidded down the hall.

"Wrong!?! I'M WRONG!?!" he bellowed as Bruce slumped back to the ground, "I saw the numbers, Banner! They were wrong. And for that to happen, someone had to have changed them. Like Richards. Or maybe you."

"Me!?!" Bruce said incredulously, nearly choking on his own blood as it poured down his face, a sudden, strange courage building in his chest, "A minute ago it was Reed. Now it's me. Did you ever consider that it could have been you? It was your machine after all. Maybe it was all your fault."

Before Bruce could blink, Victor had slammed him into the wall, and lifted him up by the throat.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?!" he bellowed, as Bruce struggled against his grip.

"Your…fault," Bruce rasped defiantly. Victor roared in anger as he slammed his fist into Bruce's gut. He let Bruce fall to the ground, where he began to cough and breath heavily, clutching his stomach. With a large hack, he threw up on the ground, a mixture of blood and vomit shooting out of his mouth.

"YOU PATHETIC, SNIVILING, SON OF A WHORE!!!" he roared, picking Bruce up by his shirt, "You dare try to blame me for this!?! You audacity is only matched by your stupidity. Whatever whore spawned you must be a truly wretched soul. If she could only see you now, I bet she'd take her own life out of sheer disappointment,"

"Don't talk…like that…about…my mother," Bruce wheezed out, anger slipping into his features.

"Oh? You don't like that Banner? You don't like me bad mouth your fat slut of a mother. You don't want me to insult the ugly bitch that spat you out? You don't-Ah!" Victor continued to taunt Bruce, until the scientist grabbed his arm with surprising force. As Bruce continues to squeeze, the force only seemed to increase, hurting even Victor's enhanced physique.

"I said," Bruce growled, his brown eyes suddenly turning neon green, "don't talk like that about my MOTHER!!" With that, Bruce backhanded Victor, sending the monarch flying across the hall and into the steel wall on the other side, denting it.

Bruce growled as he landed on his feet. He wasn't sure what had happened, and right now he didn't care. All he knew was that something inside him snapped when he heard Victor insulting his mother, the loving, caring woman who had protected him from his abusive, hateful father. He growled as he looked at the man across from him. That jerk. That pompous ass. That arrogant bastard. How dare he! How dare he insult his friends, his mother! How dare he hurt him. He'd make him pay, he thought, as Victor's very image burned in his mind. He'd show him! He'd beat him to a pulp. They'll need to get a whole new set of bandages when he was done with him. He'd beat him! Crush him! Smash him into the ground! That's what he would do to….what was his name? He'd forgotten the name. It didn't matter! He'd crush him all the same. Yes, crush him! Crush the man in bandages! Smash his face in! Smash the bandage face! Smash Bandage Face! Smash! **Smash! SMASH!!!**

Victor moaned as he pulled himself to his feet. Banner's strike had left him stunned but he quickly recomposed himself. Looking at the other man, he saw Banner on his knees, holding his head as a mixture of pain and fury showed on his face. To Victor's amazement, Banner's wounds seemed to heal right before his eyes, his nose snapping back into place with an audible crack as it readjusted itself, looking as though it had never been touched. Then, Banner let out a tremendous roar as he took his hands off his head and threw it back, his arms spread out. Then…he began to grow. Victor could see his muscles bulging under his clothes, while at the same time Banner's skin began to rapidly take on a green color to it. As Victor watched, Banner's muscles continued to bulge, growing larger and larger before there was a large ripping noise as his clothes were torn to shreds by his now massive body. And yet he continued to roar, his voice dropping in octaves as he grew. And grew he did. He didn't stop growing until he stood ten feet tall, literally brimming with muscles.

"**SMASH BANDAGE FACE!!!**" he roared. Before Victor could react, the monster that used to be Bruce Banner threw a punch at him. The beast's fist slammed into him like a car, and Victor was sent crashing through the wall behind him, and then continued through more walls until he landed outside with a loud thud. Victor gasped for air as he struggled back to his feet, clutching his chest painfully. As he did, the creature roared again, its voice carrying all the way outside. Hearing a loud crashing sound, Victor turned his attention to the facility, only to see the monster flying through the air, having apparently leapt through the ceiling. With a loud crash, he landed only a few yards from Victor, shaking the very ground.

"I must say, Banner, I'm impressed," Victor said to himself more than anyone, "It seems the accident gave you a little gift as well."

"All right then," he said, standing to his full measure, "If it's a fight you want, then a fight you shall have!"

With that, Victor charged the monster, who yelled hatefully in response to his challenge. The beast swung a fist at him, but he ducked beneath the blow, before reaching up and upper cutting the creature, causing its head to snap back. As the monster reeled from the attack, Victor took the opportunity to strike him twice in the stomach, then once on the side of the head as the monster bent over from the force of the blows. Shifting his weight, Victor brought his hands together before striking the monster on the other side of its head with an axe handle strike, sending it rolling across the ground.

"You put up a good fight, Banner," Victor mocked, his fists at the ready as he approached the monster's prone form, "but even with your new found strength, you are nothing to Doom,"

Suddenly, the monster's head snapped up, staring at Victor with unbelievably hateful eyes.

"**CRUSH YOU!**" it roared, before its hand snapped out and grabbed Victor's ankle. With a hate filled scream, it pulled him off his feet, dragging him on the ground while it stood back up. With another shout, it lifted Victor over its head by his ankle, before slamming him back into the ground, the force cracking the ground. It did this twice more before the monster tossed Victor away, sending him flying a few yards through the air before he hit the ground hard and rolled to a stop. Victor quickly regained his footing, just in time to dodge the monster striking the ground were he hand lain moments before with both its fists. Unfortunately, the attack had enough force behind it to cause the earth beneath Victor's feet to heave, sending him flying a few feet through the air. Before he could get back up, the monster ran up and kicked him in the stomach, sending him crashing into a nearby boulder, shattering it.

As Victor tried to pick himself up, he could hear the monster bearing down on him. Suddenly, however, the sound was replaced by the noise of automatic weapons fire. Looking up, he saw the monster covering his face as a group of the facilities soldiers attacked him with machine guns and the mounted turret on the jeep they had rode up in. The monster roared in defiance as it rushed its new source of ire. To Victor's astonishment, he could see the wounds the soldiers' weapons had been inflicting healing up within a matter of seconds.

With a yell, the monster attacked the soldiers' jeep, causing the soldier manning the turret to scrabble to safety. With a roar it ripped off the gun and tossed it away, before it brought both of its fists down on the jeep crushing it. Then it grabbed both ends and crushed the jeep like a paper ball before effortlessly throwing it away.

"Holy crap, what is this thing!?!" one soldier said in shock.

"I don't know, it looks like a man," another said, his gun shaking in his hands.

"No way man, that's no man. It's some sort of monster….some sort of hulk,"

"**HULK?**" the monster asked, its voice deep and gravelly, "**THAT WHAT PUNY SOLDIER SAY? THAT WHAT ME NAME IS? FINE. HULK IS HULK. AND HULK SAY LEAVE HULK ALONE!**"

Suddenly, a large rock struck Hulk in the side of the head. With a roar Hulk whirled around to face his attacker. Standing a few feet away was Victor, holding another large rock in his hand.

"Sorry, Banner, but you started this fight. You can't just walk away from it," he said with a sneer.

"**HULK CRUSH BANDAGE FACE!!**" he yelled in challenge. With a roar, he rushed Victor. In response, Victor threw the rock he was holding, which Hulk swatted out of the air without breaking stride. Winding up, he threw a punch at Victor, who jumped over it. Flying through the air at Hulk, he punched him in the face, before flipping over him. Whirling around, he struck Hulk in the side. Winding up to throw another punch, he was interrupted when Hulk spun around and back handed him, sending him flying through the air. Rolling to a stop, he lay on the ground, catching his breath. He was caught off guard however when Hulk suddenly ran up to him and slammed his fists down on his chest, cratering the ground, and knocking the wind out of Victor.

Grabbing Victor, Hulk lifted him above his head and slammed him onto is knee with a loud crack. Rolling him off his knee, Victor slumped to the ground. Hulk then grabbed Victor's head and brutally slammed it into the ground. He lifted him up and stared Victor in the face, growling as Victor's head slumped weakly. Suddenly, Victor's fist snapped out, striking Hulk in the face. Roaring in surprise, Hulk dropped Victor, who landed gracefully on the ground. Springing forward, he struck Hulk twice in the stomach, before reaching up and grabbing Hulk's head and pulled it into his fist. Hulk reeled back, allowing Victor to run up and kick him in the chest.

Hulk stumbled back again, but was able to steady himself quick enough to catch the punch that Victor threw at him. With a shout, Victor threw another punch but Hulk grabbed that one too. Standing there, the two struggled against each other. However, Victor quickly realized he was fighting a losing battle as Hulk forced him down. As he struggled, Victor fell to one knee, unable to do anything but look at Hulk's snarling face. With a roar, Hulk kicked Victor in the chest, lifting him off the ground. As he floated in the air, his hands still grasped by Hulk's, Hulk whirled him around, before tossing him with all his strength, sending Victor soaring through the air, flying out of sight. Hulk roared in victory, shaking his hands in the air.

"Open fire!" the voice of General Ross cried out.

Hulk roared in pain as he was pelted with bullets in the back. Whirling about, he found an even larger group of soldiers with General Ross commanding them. Running up from the behind them was the others from the accident.

"What's happening!?!" Betty shouted.

"What are you doing here!?!" Ross shouted back, "Get back inside!"

"What is that thing, General?" Reed asked, ignoring Ross' order to leave.

"Some kind of monster," the general replied sternly, "All I really know is that he's strong enough to crush a jeep like a tin can and heals faster than we can hurt him."

"Where'd he come from?" Sue asked.

"Somewhere in the medical wing. He was fighting Victor von Doom when the soldier's first engaged him."

"Victor? Where is he now?" Reed questioned.

"That thing just tossed him like a Frisbee over the horizon," Ross said simply.

"Holy crap!" Johnny exclaimed. Betty, however, was looking at her father questioningly.

"You know something. There's something you're not telling us," she stated.

Ross closed his eyes in annoyance at having been caught, "From what the soldier's over heard Doom saying, we think that thing might be Banner,"

"Bruce!?!" Reed exclaimed.

"The same,"

"Jesus…" Ben said as he watched the green skinned behemoth continue to protect itself from the barrage of bullets.

"You have to call them off!" Betty screamed, grabbing her father's shirt and looking at him pleadingly, "You can't do this! You're hurting him!"

"What would you have me do!?!" he shouted back, grabbing her hands, "I can't just let a monster like that loose; we have to put him down!"

Just then, the Hulk let out a monstrous roar as it charged at the line of soldiers, sending many running for their lives.

"You might need more than guns to bring this guy down, sir," Ben stated before running forward and cutting right between Hulk and a soldier who had fallen in his attempt to escape. Hulk brought his fist down to crush the soldier, but Ben managed to catch them. The shock from the stopped blow shot through Ben's arms, causing him to wince in pain and dig his heels in.

"**WHY ROCK MAN STOP HULK!?!**" Hulk demanded.

"Bruce, it's me, Ben!" Ben yelled, trying to break through to him.

"**BRUCE?**" Hulk questioned.

"Yeah! Bruce! Bruce Banner!" Ben said, excitedly.

"**BANNER!?! BANNER IS WEAK! BANNER IS PUNY! HULK NOT PUNY BANNER!**" Hulk screamed in rage, pushing harder against Ben.

"Deep down ya are!" Ben cried desperately.

"**ROCK MAN WRONG! HULK NOT PUNY BANNER! ROCK MAN MAKE HULK ANGRY! HULK SMASH ROCK MAN, THEN SMASH PUNY SOLDIERS!**" Hulk threatened.

"I won't let you!" Ben shouted in defiance, "I'll stop you! Then we'll fix you!"

"**ROCK MAN CAN'T STOP HULK! HULK STONGER THAN ROCK MAN! HULK STRONGER THAN BANGAGE FACE! HULK STRONGEST THERE IS!!!!**" Hulk roared, as he kneed Ben in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Taking advantage, Hulk spun Ben around before slamming him into the ground, leaving a small crater. Letting go of Ben, Hulk reared back to punch Ben, but Ben managed to roll to the side and regain his footing.

"'Strongest there is', huh?" Ben questioned, cracking his stony knuckles, "We'll see about that." With that, Ben rushed Hulk, ducking a punch thrown at him before punching Hulk in the gut, the force of the blow sufficient enough to actually raise the Hulk off the ground. As Hulk floated in the air, Ben punched him in the face, sending him end over end through the air, landing a few feet away. As the Hulk picked himself up, Ben ran up and booted him in the face, sending him reeling. As Ben ran up to continue the fight, Hulk recovered and backhanded him, causing him to stumble back. Hulk rushed him but Ben managed to recover and strike Hulk with an upward axe handle strike. As Hulk's head snapped back, Ben punched him in the stomach before driving a knee into his face. Hulk gripped his face in pain, but as Ben moved in to attack again, he recovered and threw a haymaker at Ben, striking him and driving him into the ground.

As Ben lay on the ground dazed, Hulk lifted his arms above his head to smash Ben into the ground. Just as he was about to attack him, Hulk was suddenly wrapped up as Reed leaped on his back before stretching and wrapping his arms around Hulk's. Hulk began to struggle, his arms suspended above his head.

"**LET HULK GO!**" Hulk roared, as he continued to struggle, trying to force his arms down.

"I can't do that, Bruce!" he shouted, his face reddened as he struggled against Hulk's strength, "You have to calm down, it's the only way we can help you!"

"**HULK DON'T NEED STRETCHY MAN'S HELP!**" Hulk yelled back, "**HULK JUST WANTS STRETCHY MAN TO GET **_**OFF**_!!" As Hulk yelled this, he jumped up and landed hard on his back. The wind was knocked out of Reed from the attack and his grip on Hulk loosened, allowing him to release himself and stand up. He quickly rounded on Reed, raising his arms above his head again.

"**HULK SMASH STRETCHY MAN!!" **

Hulk brought his arms down hard on Reed, but was caught off guard when they came to a jarring halt a few feet from Reed, an invisible barrier between the two of them. A few feet away, Sue stood with her arm out stretched and a look of pained concentration on her face. She struggled for a few second as the Hulk pushed harder against the barrier she had managed to create, before she held up her other hand.

"Back off!" she yelled before willing another force field into existence and shooting at the Hulk, striking him in the chest and sending him stumbling backwards. Taking advantage, Sue let the force field protecting Reed drop and began to pelt the Hulk with more force pulses, forcing him backward. Using both hands, she blasted him with both hands, forcing him to cross his arms in front of his body for protection. The blast sent him sliding back a few feet, his feet digging in and leaving deep gorges in the ground.

**"PUSHY LADY HURT HULK!" **he roared, glaring at Sue, **"HULK SMASH PUSHY LADY!!"**

"Bruce!" she called in response, trying to reach him, "It's me, Sue! I'm you're friend, remember!?!"

**"HULK NOT PUNNY BANNER!" **he shouted back as he began to make his way towards Sue, **"AND PUSHY LADY NOT HULK'S FRIEND!!!"**

With a roar, he charged at her, but was knocked back when she blasted him with another pulse. Seething, he charged again, arms crossed in front of him. Lifting her hands up, Sue sent another blast at Hulk, but this time, right before it struck him, Hulk struck out with his fist, swatting the attack away. Sue's eyes widened in surprise and she quickly began to fire pulses in rapid succession, but these only managed to clip him or were swatted away as well. Before she new it, he was right in front of her, rearing back with a punch. She quickly threw up a shield to protect herself, and winced as the force of the blow drove her into the ground. Moaning, her head swimming, she barely managed to keep her shield up before Hulk stuck her again. The jarring effect of his attack rattled her mind more than her body, leaving her feeling like she had suffered a blow to the head. With a roar, he raised both hands and brought them down on her shield, causing her to cry out as the mental strain forced her into unconsciousness, a small stream of blood running from her nose.

With another shout, Hulk brought his fist down again, but Sue was saved as Johnny quickly leapt in and grabbed her, rolling them both out of the way, though the force from the attack sent them flying through the air and crashing to the ground a few feet away.

"Ugh," Sue moaned, holding her head as she came to, "Johnny? What happened?"

"No time to talk, sis," he said urgently as he gently shook her out of her stupor, "The big green monster guy's not done with us yet and-"

He was cut off as Hulk charged them with a hate filled roar, bringing his foot back to punt Johnny like a football.

"JOHNNY, LOOK OUT!!!" she shouted, wrapping her arms around her brother and instinctively forming a bubble shield around them, which the Hulk kicked instead. The force of the blow, however, sent the two rocketing through the air, holding on to each other within the ball-shaped shield. With a thundering crash, they broke through the roof of the facility and crashed to the floor, the wind knocked out of them, but otherwise fine.

Slowly rising to his feet, Johnny looked around while holding his now throbbing head. The first thing he realized was that they had landed in a part of the infirmary. Glancing around, he saw debris scattered everywhere and a large hole in the ceiling where he and Sue had crashed through. Two beds and a number of pieces of equipment had been upturned in the crash. Looking around some more, he quickly noticed that there were three other people in the room, two boys is age, one partially covered by one of the overturned beds, and an older man, all laying on the ground.

"What the hell was that!?!" the man yelled as he picked himself up. Then looking to his side, he saw that the bed next to him had been overturned and his face paled as his eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my God! Ronnie!" he screamed as he grabbed the bed and pulled it away, freeing the boy. At the same time, Sue rose to her feet as well.

"Where are we?" she asked groggily, rubbing the blood from her nose away.

"That big monster guy booted us, and we landed in the infirmary," Johnny said, quickly picking his way through the rubble towards the other boy.

"The infirmary!" she cried, noticing the destruction surrounding her, "Oh God, was anyone hurt?"

"I'm fine, ma'am," the boy Johnny was helping replied as he stood up, "but I don't know about-"

"AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!" a scream cut through the air, causing everyone to snap their heads in its direction. They saw the man holding his hands out in front of him in obvious pain. Ugly, red marks covered them as thin trails of steam floated off of them. Next to him, the boy he had been helping was slowly getting to his feet. His body was glowing yellow, obscuring his features. His clothes had been burned off as his eyes glowed white. His hair was replaced by tongues of flame replaced his hair, dancing wildly upon his scalp. He slowly brought his hands up in front of his face, looking at them with horror as they glowed brightly with power.

"What…what's going on!" he shouted as heat rolled off his body. He then grabbed his head, a panicked look in his eyes. "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!!!"

"Look out!" Johnny yelled. Before he knew it, his feet were moving and he leapt between the man and his son, covering the man's body with his own. At the same time, Sue grabbed the other boy and shielded him as well. A split second later, the boy exploded with power, ripping apart the room, including punching holes in the walls. As the smoke cleared, the only clear areas of the room were where Sue and Johnny were standing.

Slowly, Sue let her shield drop, eyeing the destroyed room. She saw the boy, Ronnie she heard the man call him, still standing where he had been standing, his body still trembling as his body bristled with power. A few feet away, she saw her brother slowly getting off the man, his clothes in tatters but he and the man appeared fine, which amazed Sue.

Turning to look at the boy behind him, Johnny could see that he wasn't about to calm down soon. He quickly helped the man in front of him to his feet and pushed him in Sue's direction.

"Sue! Get them out of here!" he ordered as he ripped off the tattered remains of his shirt.

"I'm not leaving with out you, Johnny!" Sue shouted back, helping the other two through the debris.

"Sue," he replied, gently but firmly, an intense look in his eyes, "Trust me, I'll be fine,"

"Alright," she relented, a surprised look on her face, "Just…Just be careful,"

"You know me," he replied with a cocky grin, "Now go!"

With that, she turned and hustled the others out, leaving Johnny behind. Turning back to face Ronnie, he saw him looking around wildly, a crazed look in his eyes.

"Where did you take my dad!?!" he shouted, pointing his finger at Johnny.

"You'll get him back when you calm down! Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard-" Johnny was cut off when Ronnie blasted him, sending him flying through the wall. Coughing and rolling around the ground in pain for a bit, before pushing himself to his feet. As he stood, he felt hot, significantly hotter than he had before Ronnie blasted him. Johnny didn't know much about his fledgling powers, but he figured that was a bad sign. Looking up he saw Ronnie stalking towards him, before he focused back on his hands, flexing them in panic.

"All right flames come on. Lets go flames, turn on!" he looked back up nervously, then looked back, "Lets go! Fire up! The heat is on! Fire power! Come on! Come on!"

Ronnie let out a roar, before he brought his hand up and fired another blast of white hot energy at Johnny.

"Heat it up! Fire go!" he yelled in a panic, before the beam of energy was right on him.

"FLAME ON!!!"

As the smoke from the blast cleared, Johnny was revealed to be still standing, unharmed and covered in an aura in flames once again. Looking at his hands, he smiled to see his flames return.

"Wasn't expecting that to work," he said to himself, "Flame on, got to remember that one," Looking up at Ronnie, "Alright, let's do this,"

With a shout, Ronnie shot a bolt of energy at Johnny, who rolled out of the way. Righting himself, he held up his hand and pointed it at Ronnie.

"Two can play at that game!" he yelled, before focusing, causing a tongue of flame to leap out of his hands to strike Ronnie in the side of his head. Ronnie growled as he turned his head back to face him, glaring. He grunted as he snapped his hands down, forming orbs of energy in his hands.

"Yeah," Johnny said with a smirk, mirroring his actions, forming orbs of flames in his hands, "Something tells me the heat isn't going to mean much to you and me. Guess we do this the old fashion way. Just because I'm a scientist's kid doesn't mean I can't kick your ass!"

With that, Johnny leaped at Ronnie with a roar, as the other boy did the same. As they collided, the each released their energies, causing a massive explosion that destroyed most of the area around them, including punching a large hole in the roof.

Rubbing his head as he stood, Johnny looked around for any sign of Ronnie. Before he could react, Ronnie came flying out of the smoke, tackling Johnny and slammed him into the metal floor, ripping it up. With a growl, he tossed Johnny away. As Johnny righted himself, he glared at Ronnie.

"Nice trick," he growled, "Let's see if I can't do it too,"

With that, he concentrated his power in the place he thought it would be best suited for doing what he wanted to do. Slowly, the flames began to increase around his feet, before he rose off the ground.

"Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" he shouted, before adjusting his weight and increasing the flames, causing him to rocket forward, and slammed into Ronnie, grabbing him and dragging him outside through the hole in the ceiling.

_A few minutes earlier,_

"SUE!!!" Reed yelled as he saw his wife and her brother crash into one of the buildings in the complex. Seething, Reed turned and leaped at Hulk, extending his arms and wrapping around the bigger man's large frame.

"**STRETCHY MAN GET OFF HULK NOW!!!**" Hulk roared, grabbing Reed's arms before he could fully wrap them around him. Before Reed could recover, Hulk brought up his foot and slammed it into Reed's face, smushing it like it was made of putty, but doing no real damage. Lifting his foot up, he saw Reed's face quickly reforming, which only served to make Hulk angrier.

With a roar, he lifted his arms above his head to smash Reed, but was stopped when Ben tackled him from behind, slamming him into the ground. Rolling across the rough ground, they came to a stop with Ben sitting on Hulk's chest. He proceeded to repeatedly punch Hulk in the face, but was stopped when Hulk swatted him in the side of the head with his massive hand.

Ben rolled across the ground, but quickly regained his footing, letting him uppercut the Hulk as he charged. As the Hulk stumbled back, Ben charged him striking him twice in the torso and once in the side of the head. Hulk went with the momentum of the blow, spinning around before backhanding Ben again, sending him flying a few yards through the air before crashing to the ground.

Ben groaned as he picked himself up off the ground, just in time to see Hulk leap and land right in front of him. The Hulk's entire body was compressed like a spring, his muscles bulging as Ben realized he was preparing to jump again.

"Oh craAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaa…" Ben yelled as Hulk tackled him, dragging Ben with him into the air as he leapt, flying through the sky until they were both just spots on the horizon.

Reed and the remaining soldiers watched in shock as the two disappeared, unable to comprehend what just happened.

"…Holy shit!" one of the soldiers yelled, "Did you see that!?! What's next!?!"

As if on cue, a massive explosion ripped through the complex, heavily damaging what was once the medical wing. Reed whirled around and rushed towards the complex in order to get a better look. As he observed the damage, he saw three people run out of the building, heading towards them. Reed's eyes widened as he recognized one of them.

"Sue!" he cried happily, rushing towards them. As the reached each other, Reed pulled Sue into a tight embrace, which she gladly returned.

"Sue! I was so worried!" he said, burying his face into her shoulder.

"It's okay, my powers protected me and Johnny," she explained.

"Where is Johnny anyway?" Reed asked. Sue was about to answer but was cut off by a large explosion. Whirling around, they saw to humanoid looking objects covered in flame erupt from the building and soar into the air. They broke off from each other before rocketing back together, creating explosions as they did.

"There he is," Sue replied simply.

"What's he doing!?! Whose that he's fighting?" Reed questioned.

"That's my friend Ronnie," a young boy, one of the people who had arrived with Sue, replied, "Your friend Johnny's trying to get him to calm down. He kind of freaked out when he lit on fire,"

"Who are you?" Reed asked, turning his attention to the boy,

"I'm Rick Jones. I was one of the guys in the explosion," he answered, still looking at the battle raging in the sky, "Ronnie was the other,"

"My God," Reed whispered to himself as he watched Johnny and Ronnie smash into each other again, creating another large explosion.

"Reed where's Bruce? What happened to him and Ben?" Sue asked.

"Oh God, I completely forgot!" Reed exclaimed, "Bruce dragged Ben out into the desert as they fought," he said, pointing in the direction they had gone in. As he did, he saw the soldier loading into a group of jeeps along with General Ross while Betty came running towards them.

"Reed! Sue!" she called, slightly hysteric "Are you both alright?"

"We're fine, Betty," Sue replied, gripping her friend by the shoulders, "What's going on?"

"My father's going after Bruce! You have to stop him! You can't let them hurt him!"

"Bruce?" Rick asked, "Bruce Banner?"

"You know him?" she asked.

"Yeah…he saved my life," he replied, "What's going on?"

"The accident changed him, like your friend," Reed explained, "The general is trying to bring him down, but we need to make sure that he isn't hurt,"

"Where is he?" Rick asked.

"He went deeper into the desert with one of our friends, near the canyon if I'm correct," Reed replied.

"Well come on, we have no time to lose!" Rick responded.

"Rick we have no way of getting to them in time," Sue explained.

"My jeep! It should still be were I left it!" Rick said, turning to go, "Come on!"

"Rick wait!" Sue exclaimed, grabbing his shoulder, "Where we're going is far too dangerous. We can't take you with us,"

"Like hell you can't!" Rick exclaimed, "You aren't going anywhere without me!"

"Rick…"

"No! I owe Dr. Banner this! He saved my life! If-If it wasn't for me," his voice grew sorrowful, "all of this never would have happened,"

Sue stared at him for a few moments before smiling, "All right Rick," she said with a sigh, "Let's go,"

_Meanwhile_

Ben slowly opened his eyes, groaning as he did so. Slowly pushing himself up, he looked around, finding himself in a crater a few feet deep. Above the edge of the crater he could see cliffs rising up on both sides, forming a canyon.

Ben was snapped out of his thoughts however, when he heard a loud roar. Turning around, he saw the Hulk rushing at him, arms raised and face contorted in rage. Rolling out of the way, Ben just managed to dodge the Hulk's attack, but was sent sprawling by the shockwave it created.

Pulling himself to his feet, he turned to face the Hulk, who was already charging at him. Ducking below a punch to the head, he quickly sent an uppercut at the Hulk's jaw, causing his head to snap back painfully. As the Hulk reeled, Ben charged and drove a shoulder into his stomach. Then, with a heave, he lifted the behemoth up and ran him into one of the canyon walls, leaving a large crater in it.

Hulk roared before shoving Ben violently, sending him flying back. Ben rolled to his feet as he hit the ground, just in time to catch the fist thrown at his head. He winced in pain as the blow sent a shock up his rocky arm, but he fought through it enough to send a fist of his own at the Hulk's head. Hulk, however, was just as quick, and managed to catch the blow. The two began to struggle against each other, but it quickly became apparent to Ben that the Hulk was the stronger man. Grunting with effort, he was forced to one knee. Suddenly, the Hulk snapped his knee up to meet Ben's jaw, causing Ben's head to snap back painfully.

Seeing stars, Ben was unprepared for Hulk striking him in the side of the head with a punch, before striking him in the gut, causing Ben to crumple to his knees. Roaring in fury, Hulk grabbed Ben's shoulders before picking him up and throwing him, sending him flying out of the canyon and onto the flat, desert ground above. As Ben tried to pick himself up, the Hulk leapt out of the canyon and landed hard on Ben's back, driving him into the ground.

Stepping off of him, Hulk pulled Ben to his feet, before proceeding to beat his head mercilessly with his fists. Ben stumbled back with each blow, the Hulk staying right with him. After a few seconds, the Hulk connected with a hard uppercut to Ben's jaw, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying through the air. As Ben tried to right himself, desperate to stay in the fight, the Hulk charged him, arms raised above his head in preparation to smash him into the ground.

Suddenly, the ground between them exploded as a red and blue blur slammed into the ground, stopping the Hulk in his tracks. Coughing as the smoke cleared, Ben saw that the object was a man. He appeared to be a young man in his early twenties, with jet black hair. He wore a blue body suit with red boots and short shorts, a yellow belt and a red cape that reached to his calves. He was built like a tank, tall and rippling with tight, compact muscles. He stood with his arms crossed between Ben and the Hulk, facing the green behemoth, who looked at the new comer with a mixture of confusion and anger.

"I think that's just about enough," the man said with a voice of authority, his cape blowing in the wind, "You either stop this now or I will not be responsible for what happens next,"

"**HULK SMASH FLYING MAN!!!**"

"Have it your way then."

_A few minutes earlier, in Metropolis _

Clark sat at a table of an outdoor café. He was wearing the glasses that he constantly wore to help protect his identity, along with a white button shirt and brown slacks. Across from him sat Diana and Thor. Diana was in her "Diana Prince" disguise, wearing a pair of fake glasses of her own along with putting her hair up in a bun. She wore a white jacket over a black and blue stripped shirt along with a white skirt. Thor was also in disguise, wearing a blue jacket over a black t-shirt and jeans. All were currently under the illusion spell provided Dr. Strange, which hid their larger builds and made them resemble average people.

Clark watched his friends with a smile as they ate. Diana was happily sipping from the drink she had ordered while Thor devoured his sub sandwich like a man who hadn't eaten in months.

Diana noticed Clark watching them and raised an eyebrow,

"Something wrong Clark?" she asked.

"No just having fun watching you two," he said with a chuckle, "It's interesting to watch you guys get use to the modern world,"

"It's interesting for me as well," Diana said with a smile, looking around at the city, "I would have never believed that mortals were capable of such wonder while I was still at home. I mean, buildings the size of the Colossus! Constructs of metal capable of moving faster than any horse!"

"The greatest meat that I have ever eaten!" Thor exclaimed, waving his sandwich around. "What?" he asked as the others just stared at him after his outburst.

Diana couldn't help but laugh at Thor's antics, "Yes. Man's World is truly a place of wonders, Clark."

"The big city is nice, but I'm still a country boy at heart," Clark replied.

"Oh yes! You must take us to see your home! I know you wished to go alone when you visited a few days ago but I would love to meet your parents," Diana said,

"As would I" Thor added, "Any who could raise a hero such as you Clark Kent must be very noble indeed!"

"Don't let Ma hear you say that, it'll just inflate her ego," Clark said with chuckle, "Anyway, how are you two doing about finding work?"

"Well, I was thinking about getting a job at that news agency you were applying to. There were some other positions available there and I liked your thoughts about being closer to the news and being able to react to threats better because of it," Diana explained.

"Alright, what position were you thinking?" Clark asked.

"Secertary. Dr. Strange taught me how to read and write English while we were staying with him, and it's a low profile job, which will help with our secret identities,"

"Hmm seems like you put a lot of thought into this Diana," Clark commented.

"Thank you, Clark," she said with a smile.

"So how are you doing Thor? Weren't you getting a job at the hotdog vendor?" Clark asked.

Thor looked very sheepish, "Um, about that. You see while they were teaching me how to use the device, it…combusted. I suspect Loki was involved,"

"Wait, it exploded?" Clark asked incredulously.

"I suspect Loki was involved!" Thor repeated, as if the phrase cleared him of wrong doing.

"Was anyone hurt?" Clark questioned.

"No, but the device was destroyed and they…"flamed" me?" he asked.

"Fired you," Clark replied with a sigh. Looking up he saw the disgruntled look on his friends face and smiled at him, "Don't worry Thor, we'll find you a job,"

"That's easy for you to…Clark is there something wrong?" Thor asked. Clark had suddenly turned away, concentrating as if he was listening for something. Diana immediately realized what was happening and leaned in close to Clark.

"Clark what is it? Is someone in trouble?" she whispered.

"There's something happening in the southwest, at that research facility that suffered that accident a few days ago," he explained, still listening.

"There's not another accident, is there? I know you said the last one was relatively small and that there was nothing we could do but-" Diana said, but Clark cut her off.

"Now there's something else going on down there, something bad," he said before he looked up at them, "We better go,"

The other two nodded before quickly gathering their things and leaving while Clark paid the bill. Together they quickly ran into a nearby alleyway. As they ran, Clark ripped open the front of his shirt, revealing the S shield of his costume hidden underneath, while the illusion that hid his bulk wore away. Using his super speed, he quickly removed the rest of his clothing and tucked them in a safe place in the alley, before taking up into the sky like a shot, a sonic boom echoing behind him as he disappeared into the distance.

As Clark left, Diana stopped in the alley and removed her glasses, tucking them into her pocket. Then, turning on a heel, she began to spin, at first slowly, but quickly gaining speed until she became a blur of motion. Her hair came out of its bun and began to wave around wildly as her clothes seemed to melt away. When she stopped, she was now clad in her suit, standing at her regular size.

At the same time, Thor paused in the alley before looking up to the sky. He reached his hand above his head and opened his hand as if reaching for something.

"To me, Mjolnir!" he called, his voice seeming to echo.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt shot out of the sky and struck Thor. When the dust cleared, Thor now stood at his full height in his Asgardian armor, holding his hammer in his once out stretched hand.

"Come on, Thor!" Diana called, lifting into the air, "We have to go help Clark,"

"Right," he agreed, before taking off into the sky with her, heading in the direction that Clark had gone in.

_Now_

Clark ducked beneath the green behemoth's fist, before springing upward and upper cutting him in the chin. The force of the blow sounded like a thunderclap, and knocked the large man, sending him flying through the air to crash on the other side of the canyon.

Turning around, he faced the man behind him. Clark's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the large, rock-like man behind him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah, thanks," he replied in a gruff voice, "Where did you come from anyway?"

"Kal-El!" Thor called out as he and Diana landed nearby, "What is the situation?" he stopped when he saw Ben on the ground, pointing his hammer at him threateningly.

"Is this the threat you were telling us about?" he asked with menace.

"What's that suppose to mean, buddy?" Ben asked, pulling himself to his feet and looking Thor in the eye.

"No Thor, this man was in trouble and I helped him." Clark explained, trying to lessen the tension.

"Oh, my apologies…" Thor said, leaving room for Ben to provide his name.

"Captain Ben Grimm," Ben grunted, backing off, "And no, my mug didn't always look like this,"

"…Mug?" Diana whispered to Clark.

"It's another word for face," Clark explained, while Diana nodded in understanding.

"So, Captain Grimm, how did you come to look like this?" Thor asked, before leaning forward conspiratorially, "Were you cursed?"

Ben raised an eyebrow at Thor, "You're a few fries short of a Happy Meal, ain't ya, Blondie?"

Before Thor could answer, an echoing roar ripped through the desert. Looking across the canyon, they could see the Hulk taking a flying leap across the gap, soaring through the air.

"Hera, protect us," Diana whispered as she first laid eyes on the Hulk.

"You said it, sister," Ben added.

"Move!" Clark yelled as they all dove out of the way. The Hulk landed a second later, the shock from his impact sending everyone flying.

Diana yelled in shock as she was thrown in to the canyon, crashing into a rock wall and bouncing off. She managed to halt herself midair before she landed on the canyon floor and gently floated to the ground. She brought a hand to her head, attempting to quell the swimming feeling it currently had. Raising herself to her feet, she looked up into the opening of the canyon she had fallen into, the sound of the battle echoing through the rock formation.

"Hera, what is that monster?" she asked herself, preparing to lift off of the ground. She was stopped when she heard a dark chuckle behind her. Turning around she found no one there, but the chuckling continued, echoing off the canyon walls, seeming to come from everywhere at once.

"What's the matter, Princess?" a voice said from behind her, "Not having fun?"

Diana's eyes narrowed. The voice was familiar. She whirled around, her face contorting in disgust as her suspicions were confirmed.

"Blackheart," she spat.

Blackheart chuckled at her hostile attitude as he crouched on a rock a few feet away.

"It's been awhile, Princess," he said, with a grin.

"Not long enough if you ask me," she growled in reply, "What are you doing here Blackheart?"

"Me?" he asked in mock surprise, "Why I was just enjoying the show, when you showed up with your boyfriend and the new guy."

"But why are you here in the first place? Where are the other members of your foul cult?"

"The other guys scrammed after the job was done, but I was bored and decided to stick around and see what happened. Little did I know that you would show up!" he said excitedly as he hoped off the rock.

"Job?" Diana questioned, before her eyes lit up in realization, "You caused the accident!"

"Guilty as charged, Princess," Blackheart sneered.

"Why!?!" she demanded.

"No no, Princess. That would be telling," he said, wagging his finger mockingly.

Diana clenched her fists, "You know I'm not going to just let you leave, Blackheart,"

"Princess, do you really think that I would have come out if I wasn't looking for a fight," he replied, grinning madly as his eyes changed to black.

Diana let out a scream of fury as she flew at Blackheart, who smiled as he melted into a pool of shadow. Diana growled as his voice echoed around her again, laughing manically. Suddenly, the ground started to shake as large rocks began to fall off of the canyon walls.

"I'm going to rock your world, Princess!" Blackheart's voice mocked from everywhere at once.

With a roar, Diana began to smash the oncoming rocks with her fists, pulverizing them with each blow. She was caught off guard though, when she smashed a particularly large box, and Blackheart came leaping out of its core, laughing wildly.

"Surprise!" he shouted as he tackled her to the ground. With trained skill, Diana kicked him off of her before springing to her feet, only to catch Blackheart's fist with her face.

The force of the blow set her skidding across the ground. She managed to spring to her feet again, but found that Blackheart had disappeared for a second time. She looked around warily, ready to spring into action at a moments notice. Suddenly, the ground began to shake from under her before Blackheart burst out of the earth beneath her feet like a deranged jack-in-the-box.

"Look out below!" he shouted as he latched on to her feet, before he dragged her underground with him. A few seconds of silence passed before the ground erupted in a fiery explosion.

Diana gasped in pain as she landed with a thud. Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet. Turning, she saw Blackheart slowly walking towards her out of the smoking wreckage he had created.

"Had enough?" he asked mockingly. In response, Diana quickly snapped out her lasso and, catching Blackheart off guard, snagged him by the neck. With a heave, she pulled him off his feet and into her waiting fist, which sent him flying back through the air. Yanking on the rope as it grew tight, she pulled him back again, before smashing his face with her fist. She repeated the attack a dozen times, using Blackheart like an oversized paddle ball. As he flew back through the air again, she grabbed the lasso with both hands before yanking it to the side, smashing Blackheart into the canyon wall. Without hesitation, she continued to pull on the lasso, forcibly dragging Blackheart through the canyon wall, leaving a deep groove in the rock face. As she completed her turn, Blackheart was pulled free from the wall, only to smash into the one on the other side, which Diana dragged him through as well, before smashing him into the canyon floor with a thunderous crash.

Blackheart moaned as he slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in a crater a few inches into the ground.

"Alright, Princess if tha-" He was interrupted by Diana's war cry as she smashed a large boulder on top of him. Diana backed away from the resulting rubble, floating in the air and panting heavily. Suddenly, the rubble exploded, black and red flames shooting out from where Blackheart lay. When they dissipated, he was revealed in his full demon form, complete with pitch black skin and mouthless face.

"I'm going to kill you!" his voice roared in her head as he slammed his hands into the ground. Right after, dozens of clawed hands shot out from the shadows surrounding Diana, all reaching to grab her. Reacting, Diana began to spin around rapidly, becoming a blur of motion as the air swirled around her. Moving as rapidly as she was, the hands weren't able to grab her and instead became wrapped around her like a taffy machine.

Blackheart's eyes widened in surprise at this development. "Hey!" his telepathic voice called feebly, "Cut that out! That's not-" Blackheart was cut off as his arms stopped extending and his upper body was forcibly jerked into the ground, his face smashing against the earth.

"That hurt!" he hollered, pulling back a little.

"Not as much as this will," Diana said from within the tangle of shadow arms. With a loud cry, she burst the arms apart, causing strands of shadow to fly around like pieces of confetti.

"AAAARRGGGH!!" Blackheart screamed as he pulled his now hand-less arms out of the ground.

"I'll make you pay for that!" he shouted as his arms began to reform. Suddenly, Diana rushed forward and plunged her arm into his chest.

"Not if I rip that dark heart of yours out first," she snarled, before she ripped a large chunk of his form out. Blackheart screamed in pain and fell to his knees, bringing one of his newly formed arms to the wound in his chest. Diana stood over him, staring daggers as she tossed the chunk of demon flesh away.

Suddenly, Blackheart's tail lashed out, wrapping around her leg and tripping her before picking her up and throwing her into the stone wall. As she regained her footing, Blackheart stretched one of his arms out and increased its size, before slamming it into Diana, holding her against the wall. He then held up his other arm, morphing it into a point before it began to glow red with heat.

"You know what they say, Princess," he growled in her mind, "One good turn deserves another," With that the pointed arm shot forward, aiming for Diana's chest. Diana's eyes widened with fear as she struggled against Blackheart's grasp. Just as the flaming point was about to strike her, she managed to dodge slightly to the side, causing the attack to spear her through the shoulder.

Diana screamed in pain as the heat burned her flesh, while Blackheart twisted the point in the wound, opening the hole more and causing blood to flow down her arm. Laughing, Blackheart pulled both of his arms back, allowing Diana to slump to the ground, holding her wounded shoulder. Smiling menacingly, Blackheart stalked over to her, his arm morphing from a point to a blade.

"Looks like I win, Princess," he mocked, raising his arm above his head to strike her. Suddenly, Diana leaped up, grabbing Blackheart by the shoulder and wrist of his bladed arm. Then, with a mighty roar and a loud ripping noise, she ripped the arm off. Blackheart screamed in pain as he stumbled back, but was silenced when Diana rammed the arm through his chest, picked him off the ground with it and tossed him away.

Blackheart rolled on the ground in pain for a few minutes before he managed to slowly pick himself off the ground, the arm absorbing into his body and starting to regrow in its proper place.

"Y-You bitch," he said weakly before he stumbled and fell to his knees, "Alright, you win…for now," he snarled, before he disappeared into a pool of shadows. "See you around, Princess," his voice whispered in her mind, before he disappeared completely.

Diana grunted in pain as she looked around, expecting a sneak attack. When none came, she slowly lifted into the air, and began to fly out of the canyon, holding her injured shoulder as blood continued to ooze out of it.

_A few minutes earlier_

Thor coughed out the dirt that had gotten into his lungs, kicked up by the attack that had sent them all flying. The sound of pitched combat quickly reached his ears, causing him to turn to investigate. Before him, he saw Clark battling with the green monstrosity that had attacked them. At the moment, he had the advantage, pummeling the beast face with heavy blows from his fist, forcing the beast backwards. He saw the rocky creature called Captain Grimm pull himself to his feet not far away. Diana, however was no where to be seen. A feeling of dread swept over him as he began to frantically look around for any sign of her.

He was snapped out of his thoughts however, when Clark was batted aside by the creature's hand, smashing into the ground hard. He then reared up over Clark, preparing to pound him into the ground. Thor reacted quickly, bringing his hammer to bear against the monster by shooting it square in the chest with a lightning bolt. The monster roared in pain and rage as it was hurled through the air, coming crashing to the ground a few feet away.

Thor smiled at his victory, but this was quickly cut short as the beast began to rise to its feet, the burn marks on its chest healing right before Thor's eyes. It glared hatful at him as it rose to its full height.

"**HULK SMASH HAMMER MAN!!!" **it roared as it prepared to charge him.

Suddenly, two powerful rock-like arms wrapped themselves around the Hulk's shoulders, trapping them in a nelson lock.

"Got ya!" Ben shouted triumphantly as he grappled with the Hulk, "Now let's just calm down, Mop-Top,"

"**GET OFF HULK!!!**" the monster roared as it struggled with Ben. Before Ben could react, Hulk leaped off of the ground and landed hard on its back, crushing Ben underneath it. Rolling off, it grabbed Ben by the leg and tossed him at Thor. Thor was caught off guard by the attack and was sent tumbling when the large man crashed into him. After rolling across the ground and coming to a stop, Thor managed to get himself back on his feet, in time to see Clark blindside the Hulk and send him flying backwards.

"I will smite that retched beast!" Thor seethed as he made his way towards where Clark and the Hulk were fighting. Suddenly, Ben came up and grabbed him by the arm, whirling Thor around to face him.

"Hold up there Blondie, no buddy o' mine is getting smited while I'm around," Ben said, his voice slightly threatening.

"That creature is your friend?" Thor asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, he is," he said, turning to look at the Hulk as he tried to crush Clark while roar in fury, "He's just having an off day,"

"So this is a curse" Thor whispered.

"Sure, why not," Ben grunted in annoyance, "What we should be doing is trying to calm him down. If we can do that, we should be able to help him."

"Alright, Captain Grimm, I shall do as you say. I will attempt to pacify the beast,"

At that, Thor lifted off the ground and shot off towards the Hulk. The green behemoth currently had his back towards Thor, battling with Clark. This let Thor blindside the larger man, striking him in the head with his hammer. Sparks shot out of the hammer's head as it connected with the Hulk's head, sending him tumbling to the side. As the Hulk regained his senses, Thor pointed his hammer at the Hulk to address him.

"Here me, great beast! It has come to my attention that you are under the sway of some sort of curse. We believe it would be best if you were to calm yourself, so that we may find a way to rid you of this curse. Otherwise, I will be forced to take action to pacify you by force. What say you?"

"**HULK CRUSH HAMMER MAN'S PUNY HEAD!!!" **

"…Very well then," Thor said calmly before he shot a bolt of lighting at the Hulk with his hammer.

The bolt struck Hulk hard in the chest hard, sending him flipping through the air. He managed to right himself midair, just in time to see Thor flying at him with hammer raised. Acting quickly, he grabbed Thor's arms with his massive fists as he got close enough, before using Thor's own momentum to whirl him around and sent him flying back to the ground. Thor managed to stop himself midair, just before hitting the ground. Hulk landed a few feet away on his feet with a thunderous crash.

They both looked at each other quickly before charging, letting loose deafening warcries that echoed across the desert. Thor lifted his hammer above him to strike Hulk, but the Hulk caught his arms mid-swing, stopping the blow. They struggled against each other, muscles bulging and jaws clenched. Bolts of electricity shot off of the hammer's head, striking the ground around them.

Suddenly, the electricity began shooting in another direction, going up and seemingly gathering above their heads. The gathering orb of energy slowly grew larger and larger, changing colors to a light blue as it did so. Before they knew it, the orb had grow massive, bathing them both in an eerie blue light as it pulsed with a power all its own.

"**WHAT HAMMER MAN DOING!?!**" Hulk demanded as he looked above his head while still struggling with Thor.

"This is not my doing!" Thor replied, right before the orb exploded outward, knocking both Thor and Hulk off their feet. Thor rolled a few feet before coming to a stop. Pushing himself up, he looked at the ball of energy which was now a shining ball of light.

As he watched, the light began to take shape, before it gained the proportions of a large man. Suddenly the light ceased, allowing Thor to see the man fully. His skin was covered in apparently metal substance of light gray color, which also appeared highly polished, reflecting the light of the desert sun. It also obscured some of the detail of his figure, as the man wore no clothing but the lines of his muscles appeared faded and his privates were seemingly covered. His hair was also metallic and an even lighter shade of gray, cut in a crew cut style. His eyes were white with no pupils.

He slowly fell to the ground before collapsing to his knees. Slowly, he sat up, looking at his arms and the rest of his body.

"W-What happened to me?" he questioned nobody in particular.

"Oh my god," Ben whispered as he took a step towards the man.

"What is it?" Clark asked.

"It's Adams" Ben explained.

"Who?"

"He was another soldier at the base, he ran out with Banner to try and stop the machine from causing the accident. It went off right in his face,"

"My god," Clark said, "What happened to him?"

"Hell if I know," Ben relented, as he began walking towards Adams "but I'm going to find out,"

"Captain Grimm, wait!"

"Relax, I know the guy," he said before turning towards Adams, "Hey Adams! Were ya bin, buddy?"

Adams looked up, his eyes widening with shock, "G-Get away from me!" he cried as he threw his hands up in front of his face. Suddenly, a blast of energy shot out from them, striking Ben in the chest and sending him flying through the air, landing a few feet behind where Clark was standing.

"Ow, dumb idea," Ben moaned as he lay on the ground, "Stupid Ben. You're a walking boulder now, of course he ain't gonna recognize ya,"

"**SHINEY MAN HURT HULK!!!**" the Hulk roared as he picked himself off the ground, "**HULK SMASH SHINEY MAN!!!**"

Roaring in fury, Hulk charged Adams, lifting his arms above his head, ready to crush the smaller man. Adams screamed in fear as he held his hands out in front of him again. More blasts of energy shot out, striking the Hulk as he charged but not stopping him. Before Adams realized it, the Hulk was right on top of him, and brought his huge fists down upon him, smashing him into the ground.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, as cracks formed in the earth around Hulk's fists. White light began to shine from within the cracks, before they erupted in an explosion of white energy. The Hulk was sent flying through the air and came crashing to the ground a few yards away, horrible burns covering his body.

As the smoke cleared, Adams was revealed floating were the Hulk once stood, seething in anger. With a roar, he shot towards where the Hulk laid, a streak of energy left in his wake. He stopped right above the Hulk before he shot him point blank with an energy stream. The Hulk roared in pain as the energy burned his flesh while pushing him further into the ground.

Adams was interrupted however, when Clark flew into him from behind, tackling him into the ground. Clark attempted to hold him to the ground, but Adams blasted him in the chest, sending him flying into the air. Clark stopped himself midair, just in time to dodge another blast from Adams, who flew after him. As Adams closed in on him, Clark fired a blast of his heat vision at him, striking him in the shoulder and knocking him back. Clark attempted to rush him but Adams recovered and shot another blast of energy at him. Dodging it, Clark shot another blast of heat vision at him, which Adams met with a blast of his own. The two attacks met, stopping each other. They attempted to push through each other, but all they managed was a stalemate, sparks of energy shooting off. Suddenly, Adams beam began to waver before it broke off all together, exhaustion written on his face. Clark's eye rays burned through the remains of Adams' attack and struck him in the chest, sending him flying towards the ground. As Adams tried to recover, Clark slammed into him, tackling him into the ground.

Clark slowly got up, breathing heavily and sweating. Suddenly, Adams hand shot up and blasted Clark with an energy blast, sending him flying away. As Clark picked himself off the ground, he was blasted again by Adams who continually pelted Clark with energy blasts as he drew nearer. However, a few feet from Clark, he was stopped when a large boulder was broken over the back of his head. Whirling around, he found Diana standing behind him, the remains of a large rock still in her hands. She was breathing heavily and the wound in her side continued to ooze blood.

With a roar, Adams attempted to strike Diana, but she quickly ducked the blow before swinging upwards and breaking the rest of the rock on his chin. Reeling backwards, Adams had no time to recover as Diana pressed her assault, punching him repeatedly in the face, forcing him backwards with every blow. With a loud cry of anger, she punched him hard in the jaw, causing him to whirl around, allowing the now recovered Clark to smash his fist into Adams' face.

The force of the blow knocked Adams backwards, where Diana kicked him in his lower back. Bending backwards from the blow, Adams left himself open to Clark, who punched him hard in the stomach. Doubling over, Diana quickly grabbed his head and drove her knee into his face. The blow forcing him upright, Adams could only watch dazedly as Clark's fist connected with his jaw, spinning him around to connect with Diana's backhand. Continuing to spin, Adams received a punch to the face from Clark, just as Diana swept his legs, ending with him flying end over end through the air to land face first on the ground a few feet away.

"Nice work, Diana," Clark said as Diana rose back to her feet.

"Not bad yourself, Clark," Diana said with a smile, before she winced and grabbed the wound in her side.

"Diana, are you alright?" Clark asked as he got closer to inspect her. Seeing the wound in her side, he gasped slightly and moved closer to get a better look.

"Diana what happened?" he questioned, worriedly.

"It's a long story," she said hesitantly as he rose back up to look at her in the face. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light as Adams appeared right in front of them. Before either of them could react, he grabbed them by their throats and lifted them off their feet. They struggled against his grip, but couldn't break free before he slammed them both hard into the ground. Looking at Clark, Adams booted him in the side, sending him rolling away. Turning back to Diana, he kneeled down and grabbed her by the throat. Looking at her, he noticed the wound in her side. Holding his free hand above his head, he charged it with energy before plunging it into the open wound. Diana's blood-curdling scream could be heard for miles.

The scream quickly caught Thor's attention, as he finally recovered from Adams arrival. His eyes widened as he saw Adams pull his hand out of a now very limp Diana, her blood dripping of his fingers.

"Diana…" he whispered as he stared at her form sprawled across the ground, "DIANA!!!"

Electricity surged around him as he sprung forward, his eyes glowing with power while his face was twisted in rage. He moved so fast that Adams didn't see him coming until Thor's hammer connected with the side of his head. He was sent flying through the air, but managed to recover, but couldn't do more as the thunder god was upon him again. With a roar of rage, Thor battered Adams with his hammer, each blow connecting with the sound of thunder. As Adams floated dazedly through the air, Thor punched him in the gut, before hefting him above his head.

"I will show you what true power is!!" Thor roared as dark clouds suddenly appeared and gathered above them. Suddenly, a lightning bolt shot out of the sky and with a flash of light and a clap of thunder, they disappeared.

While Thor battled with Adams, Ben and Clark had rushed over to Diana.

"Jesus," Ben whispered as he looked her over,

Clark put his fingers to the side of her neck, searching for a pulse, and let out a sigh of relief when he found one.

"She's still alive, but she's in bad condition. We need to-" Clark was cut off as a tremendous roar ripped through the air. Turning, he saw the Hulk bearing down on them. Reacting quickly, Clark rushed the Hulk and ducked his blows, before striking him on the chin, sending him reeling backwards.

"Captain Grimm! Get her out of here! Get her medical attention!" Clark yelled, taking advantage of the momentary reprieve. Ben nodded, before picking Diana up carefully had carrying her away in the direction of the base. Clark nodded and turned around, only to find the Hulk was right on top of him. Before he could react, the Hulk brought his huge fists down on him, slamming him into the ground.

Hulk grinned at his accomplishment, but his grin became a look of pain as he howled and pulled away, his hands red with heat. Clark stood up, his eyes turning from the red of his heat vision back to there normal blue. Taking a deep breathe, he used his gale breath on the Hulk, knocking the larger man backwards. Hulk attempted to regain his footing in the high speeded winds, digging his feet and hands into the dry, desert earth. As he tried to hold himself, one chunk of earth came free, causing him to lose his balance and be swept away by the winds.

Clark rushed Hulk and slammed his fists into Hulk's stomach before he had a chance to react. What Clark didn't expect though was that Hulk had managed to keep his hold on the piece of rock that had broken off when he was swept away. Hulk struck Clark on the side of the head with the large piece of stone, knocking him away. Clark quickly picked himself off the ground, but once again, the Hulk as upon him before he could react. Crouched low, Hulk leaped at Clark, tackling him upwards, carrying him up into the air and into the distance.

_Meanwhile,_

An explosion of fire lit up the sky, parting clouds while making new ones of black smoke. With a yell of pain, Johnny came shooting out of a cloud bank, followed quickly by the still delusional Ronnie.

Ronnie roared in anger as he shot more rays of burning energy at Johnny. Johnny managed to regain control of his flight in time to dodge them, before returning fire with a few fireballs. Ronnie dodged one, before batting away another as if it was nothing. He snarled as he increased speed, slamming into Johnny and knocking the wind out of him. Before Johnny could react, Ronnie punched him in the face, the blow accompanied by a small explosion that sent him flying backwards.

Johnny again managed to stabilize himself, holding his still spinning head.

"Man," he moaned, "this is not going like I had hoped,"

Glancing up, he saw Ronnie holding his hands above his head, before three orbs of red energy formed above them. With a shout, he sent them flying at Johnny. Johnny let out a yelp of fright before turning and flying away, hoping to outrun the orbs. He managed to avoid them, but as they got close, the exploded, the impact sending him flying through the air.

Stabilizing himself, Johnny looked around to see Ronnie bearing down again. Holding his hands out in front of him, Johnny sent a stream a fire at Ronnie, which Ronnie was forced to block by crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Johnny knew that the attack hadn't hurt the other boy, merely stunned him, and he desperately tried to think of a plan in the little time he had. Looking to his right, he saw a strange collection of black clouds gathering nearby. Thinking he could take cover in the dark clouds, Johnny shot towards them, glancing back to see Ronnie pursuing him. Just as he closed in on the cloud however, it exploded with electrical energy, knocking both Johnny and Ronnie through the air.

As the cloud dissipated, Thor was revealed holding Adams above him, the crazed soldier desperately trying to break free. Thor growled as he struck Adams with his hammer, sending him flying through the air. Before Adams could recover Thor rushed him and spiked him downward with another hammer blow, before firing a bolt of lightning after him.

Johnny watched in amazement at the strange turn of events. Glancing to his side, Johnny saw Ronnie had recovered from the attack and was preparing to shoot Thor in the back. Seeing that he was closer to Thor than Ronnie, Johnny shot towards Thor.

"Hey! Look out!" he yelled, tackling him to the side and successfully avoiding Ronnie's attack.

"In Odin's name, what is the meaning of this!?!" Thor demanded.

"Sorry man, just trying to save your ass!" Johnny replied as he pointed Ronnie out.

Looking up, Thor saw Ronnie flying up at them.

"Well then, I suppose I should thank you, my fiery friend," Thor replied with a beaming smile, before charging at Ronnie, "Now follow me to battle!"

Thor and Ronnie met with a tremendous crash, power surging out from them. Moving back, Thor struck him in the side with his hammer, sending Ronnie spinning through the air. As he flew out of control, Johnny flew up behind him and punched him, sending Ronnie flying back. As Ronnie floated between them, Johnny and Thor shot a lightning bolt and a tongue of fire at Ronnie, causing a large explosion. As the smoke clear, they saw Ronnie fall towards the ground below.

"Oh, crap!" Johnny exclaimed as he shot after Ronnie, trying to catch him before he hit the ground below.

"Wait, young one!" Thor called out to Johnny, but the boy paid him no heed. Thor was left floating alone in the sky, a confused look on his face.

"Who were those people?" he asked himself. His thought process was interrupted when he heard a loud popping sound as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Turning around, he found himself face to face with Adams. Before Thor could react, Adams grabbed his throat and wrist. As Thor struggled, Adams strengthened his grip on his wrist as heat began to radiant from his hand. Thor let out a cry of pain as his hammer fell from his grip. He was cut off however, when a surge of energy leapt through Adams other hand, surging into Thor's body, causing him to freeze up with an expression of silent pain on his face. Slowly, Adams began to glow brighter as a light streamed through Thor cast out of his eyes and gaping mouth.

_Meanwhile_

Johnny raced towards the ground, desperately trying to catch up with Ronnie's falling form. He put everything he had into a last burst of speed and managed to catch Ronnie just before he hit the ground, sending them both tumbling across it instead. The impact combined with his own exhaustion knocked Johnny's flame out, leaving him nude upon the desert sand.

He moaned in pain as he brought his hand to his rib, which ached painfully. Slowly, he opened his eyes, only to find Ronnie, still ignited, standing over him. Before Johnny could do anything, Ronnie leaped upon him, pinning him to the ground by sitting on his chest while he wrapped his hands around Johnny's throat. Johnny gagged and kicked as he fought against Ronnie's burning grip. A look of irrational hatred marred Ronnie's face.

"_Ronnie, STOP!!!"_ a voice called out from with in Ronnie's own mind. Ronnie's eyes grew wide as shock spread across his features, his grip on Johnny's throat relaxing. A part of Ronnie's brain that had been suppressed by the sheer might of his new found powers suddenly clicked on.

"_W-Who's there?" _Ronnie's hesitant voice asked from within the maelstrom of power that clouded his thoughts.

"_It's me Ronnie. It's Dr. Martin Stein. I was the scientist who helped rescue you_"

"_Rescued me_?" Ronnie's voice asked, clearly confused.

"_From the accident, Ronnie. Don't you remember?_"

Suddenly, everything came flooding back to Ronnie. Sneaking onto the base with Rick. The machine coming alive. Falling to the ground. The bright flash. Then waking up in the hospital on fire.

"_I…I remember,_" Ronnie replied, the surging power slowly calming.

"_That's good Ronnie, that's good,"_ Dr. Stein's voice said calmly.

"_Did the accident do this to me…to us?"_

"_Yes, the energy that shot out of the machine seems to have gathered into you, a rather large quantity of it I might add. It resembles the fusion process of a sun in a way,_" Dr. Stein explained.

"_But what about you?_"

"_Well, it seems that the process that caused your body to absorb all this energy seemingly destroyed mine, but fused my consciousness with yours. This energy that flows through you is unlike anything I've seen before, and I'm sad to say I don't truly understand how it works."_

"_How come you waited until now to talk to me?" _Ronnie asked.

"_You were unreachable until now. The energy in your body filled your mind with chaotic thoughts and images, warping it until it became almost animalistic. It's only because you managed to burn so much of it off in your fighting that I was finally able to contact you,"_

"_Fighting?" _Ronnie questioned. Suddenly his memories of his long fight through the skies with the other boy came flying back to him, causing him to start out of his daze with a shock. Looking down, he saw his hands still around the other boy's throat. He instantly pulled them back, yelping as he did so. He rolled of the boy's chest as he grabbed at his throat, coughing and hacking as air rushed into his lungs.

"I'm sorry!" Ronnie cried hysterically, "I didn't me it! I'm sorry! I couldn't control myself!"

Johnny's only response was to roll on his side and cough some more.

"Are you alright?" Ronnie asked, crawling over to Johnny's side.

Johnny just shook his head and coughed some more.

"Oh man, we got to-" Johnny was interrupted when by a loud scream from overhead. Looking up, he saw Thor plummeting to the ground. Before he could do anything, Thor crashed into the ground a few yards away, leaving a large hole in the ground. As Ronnie watched, the glowing blue form of Captain Adams descended to the ground, a look of utter contempt on his face.

"_Oh my god,_" Dr. Stein's voice said within Ronnie's head.

"_What is it?_" Ronnie asked.

"_That's Captain Adams! He was a soldier at the base, he went to turn off the machine while Bruce and I tried to rescue you and your friend_"

"_He must have gotten hit with even more of the energy that hit us!_" Ronnie realized.

"_Indeed, and it seems to be effecting him in much the same way. I'm still not sure who that other man is, but you have to help him! From what I could see in your head, he's probably strong enough to survive that fall, but I don't think Adams is done with him yet!_"

"_Any suggestions, Doc?_" Ronnie thought desperately.

"_I have one. Take him as high as you can and make him burn as much energy as you can get him too. The more energy he burns-_"

"_The more in control of himself he'll become! I'm on it!_"

With that last thought, Ronnie shot forward like a bullet, blasting towards Adams. Adams was completely caught off guard as Ronnie blindsided him, wrapping his arms around the bigger man as he slammed into him before dragging him up into the air. Adams struggled against Ronnie's grip as they flew into the air, managing to get his arm free and using it to elbow Ronnie in the face. Ronnie let go of Adams, allowing Adams to turn around and punch Ronnie in the face, sending him flying away.

Ronnie managed to catch himself, just in time to dodge a blast of energy from Adams. As Adams prepared to shoot another one, Ronnie shot one of his own. The two blasts collided midair, creating a shockwave that knocked them both back. Recovering first, Ronnie charged at Adams, a flaming aura surrounding him, increasing as he charged.

"_Ronnie? What are you doing?_" Dr. Stein asked.

"_I got an idea!_" Ronnie replied as he slammed into Adams and wrapped his arms around him again. As he gripped him, Ronnie poured more and more power into his flaming aura, the ethereal flames licking at Adams' metallic flesh. Adams cried out in main as the flames burned him, before he began to glow with his own energy.

"_Ronnie, you have to stop!_" Dr. Stein cried.

"_No, I got this! He's falling for it! We need him to burn off his power, and what better way than by forcing him to fight fire with fire!?_"

"_But Ronnie, Captain Adams power is different from yours! I think if he keeps using his energy like this, he might explode!_"

"…Oh" Ronnie said, as he looked up at Adams face. Adams' head was tilted back as his body glowed brighter and brighter. Ronnie could feel him shaking uncontrollably as sparks of excess energy shot off of him.

"Crapcrapcrap!" Ronnie yelled as he let go of Adams and desperately sped away. He didn't get far however, as a second later, Adams exploded with energy, the concussive blast knocking Ronnie silly. Ronnie felt all the strength in his body fade away as he tumbled helplessly through the air. As he did, he could make out Adams falling to the ground as well, like a puppet with its strings cut. The last thing Ronnie could perceive before unconsciousness claimed him was the smell of ozone, and the sound of thunder.

_A few minutes earlier_

A dust covered jeep sped through the poorly maintained roads of leading away from the desert base, kicking up a dust cloud as it went. Rick Jones sat in the driver's seat, the wind whipping through his brown hair. Next to him Reed sat, his head stretched out of the jeep's open canopy, looking around desperately. In the back, Sue and Betty sat together, each looking across the desert as well. Just ahead of them, a group of military issue jeeps sped through the desert, kicking up more dirt as they went.

"Do you see anything Dr. Richards?" Rick called over the sound of the wind.

"No," Reed and Sue replied at the same time though neither of them noticed.

"Doesn't seem like Dad knows where he's going either," Betty pointed out.

Reed pulled his head back in, a look of frustration on his face. "I don't understand, they should be right around here,"

Suddenly, the ground in front of the jeep exploded, forcing Rick to swerve wildly, barely maintaining control of the vehicle. Looking up, Reed saw the Hulk's large form flying through the air, having ricocheted off the desert ground in front of them, tangled with a smaller person that Reed couldn't identify. They landed a few yards away, smashing into the ground with yet more explosive force.

"There they are!" Reed exclaimed, pointing where they had landed. He could see that both figures where already back on their feet and were preparing to fight some more.

"Reed look!" Sue exclaimed, pointing in the opposite direction. Following her gaze, Reed could make out the Ben's now unmistakable form rushing towards them, carrying another figure in his arms.

"Wait if that's Ben, then who's that fighting Bruce?" Betty asked.

"We'll have to figure that out later, Ben needs are help!" Reed said, "Rick!"

"On it, Dr. Richards!" Ronnie said as he swerved in Ben's direction and sped towards him. They quickly caught up with him, allowing Reed to see that Ben was carrying a young woman dressed in what appeared to be a one piece bathing suit. She also had a grievous wound in her side.

"Well ain't you guys a sight for sore eyes," Ben said happily, as the jeep pulled up beside him.

"Ben, what happened? Who is that?" Sue asked as she jumped out of the jeep and rushed to Ben's side, as he carefully put the young woman on the ground.

"Not sure. Think her name is Diana or somethin'. She just showed up out of the blue with two of her pals while I was fightin' with Bruce. Saved my ass."

"What happened to her?" Betty asked as she leaned down to look.

"Not sure, she disappeared in the fight and had that when she showed up again. The Adams got to her."

"Adams?" Reed questioned.

"Yeah, Nathaniel Adams, apparently that stuff that changed us did quite a number on him. He just showed up out of no where, guns blazing as it were."

"Where is he now?" Sue asked as she leaned over Diana, and concentrated, applying her powers to Diana's wound, stopping the bleeding.

"Another one of her buddies decided to take him on. I don't know much, but I think that guy can take Adams." Ben explained.

Their attention was drawn back to the battle as Hulk let out a monstrous roar as he battled with the other man. The fleet of army jeeps they had followed quickly bore down on them as well.

"Looks like things are gonna get dicey. I better help the kid out," Ben said as he got up, "You got everything here, Suzie?"

"I think so," Sue replied, before turning to Betty, "Betty, go get one of the medics that came with the soldiers. We'll need some proper bandages to fix her up,"

Betty nodded before getting up and hustling off towards were a medic vehicle was located, away from the battle lines. At the same time, Ben hopped into the back of Rick's jeep, the vehicle sagging under his weight.

"Ya think you can get me up there, kid?" Ben asked, indicating towards where Hulk and Clark were fighting.

"No problem," Rick replied as he started the jeep back up.

"You're not going anywhere without me, Ben," Reed said as he climbed into the jeep as well.

"No offence Reed, but your not much of what I'd call a fighter," Ben stated.

"From what I've seen, you're going to need all the help you can get against Bruce," Reed said back.

"Point taken," Ben said, before turning to Rick, "Gun it, kid,"

"Be careful, Reed!" Sue called as the jeep sped off, "I love you!"

"I love you, too!" Reed called back, before turning back to the others, "So what's the plan, Ben?"

"Get in there and beat on Mop-Top till he decides to calm down," Ben replied, not taking his eyes off the fight they were speeding to.

"That's your plan?" Reed asked, incredulously.

"If you gotta better one Stretch, I'm all ears," Ben replied before turning to Rick, "Can you get me right up to him? Just pass near him, don't stop,"

"I can try!" Rick replied, slightly nervous.

"Ha! That's what I like to hear. I'm startin' to like you, kid," Ben replied as he stood up in the back, holding on to the overhead bar.

"What are you thinking, Ben?" Reed questioned as the jeep passed between two of the army vehicles that had formed a circle around the fight and were firing upon the Hulk.

"Something crazy, but this day's FUBAR already, so it's more like par for the course at this point," Ben said, as they closed in on the Hulk, whose back was too them. "Alright Mop-Top, you better get ready 'cause it's CLOBBERIN' TIME!!" Ben roared as he leaped off of the jeep and onto the Hulk's back, striking him in the back of the head with his powerful fists before wrapping his arms around the Hulk's neck.

"Clobberin' time?" Rick questioned as they sped away. Reed just shrugged.

"Just one of those days, I guess," he said before he rolled himself into a ball and rolled over the side of the jeep. He bounced for a few feet before coming to a rest and uncurling.

"Keep going, Rick!" he called after the jeep, "Get to safety!" His only sign of conformation was Rick's jeep passing through the other side of the circle of Army jeeps. Turning, he saw that the Hulk had pulled Ben off his back, and was swinging him wildly around, knocking soldier away along with the man fighting him. Taking a deep breath, Reed raced towards Hulk, reaching his arms out to wrap around his massive arm, before pulling himself up and extending and wrapping his legs around Hulk's neck and other arm, holding him in place, ignoring the bullets that bounced off his rubbery skin.

"Bruce, listen to me! It's Reed!" Reed called out desperately.

"**HULK RIP STRETCHY MAN APART!!!**" Hulk responded before he began to struggle to bring his arm down, stretching Reed even further. The stretching began to hurt, but before Hulk had stretched Reed to far, the caped man he had been fighting before literally flew up and punched Hulk hard in the face, forcing him to cease struggling, allowing Reed to release his grip unscathed. Hulk staggered back a few feet before recovering, but was blindsided by Ben before he could continue attacking.

Reed struggled to his feet, helped by the caped man.

"Thanks for the help," Reed said as he regained his footing, "Dr. Reed Richards, at your service"

"Kal-El," the other man replied simply.

"Kal-El?" Reed questioned, "How does someone get such a unique name?"

"How does someone learn to stretch like you do, Dr. Richards?"

"Touché, still, I'd very much like-" Reed was interrupted when the Hulk picked up and threw Ben at them, hitting Clark in the side and sending them both tumbling away. Turning, Reed found the green behemoth bearing down on him, rage evident as ever.

Reed managed to twist out of the way as the Hulk threw one of his massive fists at him. Twisting to avoid another punch, Reed quickly rolled away to put some room between them both.

"I don't want to fight you, Bruce!" Reed cried. The Hulk's answer was to charge at him again, roaring as the surrounding soldiers bullets bounced harmlessly off of him.

"But I will if you force me to!" Reed said before throwing a punch at the Hulk's face from a few yards away. The blow however, merely smushed against the Hulk's face, like if he throw overripe fruit at him. Reed eyes widened in surprise as his face grew red with embarrassment, before turning white with fear as the Hulk grabbed his arm and wrenched him forward, off of his feet. Reed could only watch in horror as he was dragged right into the Hulk's waiting fist, before the force of the blow sent him flying backwards. He screamed as he flew through the air, but his flight was cut short when Ben reached his arm out and caught him, Reed wrapping around his rocky arm like a wet towel.

"You okay Reed?" Ben asked as he set his friend down.

"I'll be fine Ben," Reed replied, "The only thing really hurt was my pride,"

Their heads snapped to attention as Hulk let out another savage roar, and charged them. Reed and Ben picked themselves up and prepared to fight again, but Clark suddenly zipped in front of them. Taking a deep breath, he blew at Hulk, which came out as strong torrent of icy wind. Hulk tried to fight against the powerful winds, but he slowly came to a halt as ice appeared on his body, growing until it completely encompassed him. Reed and Ben looked in wonderment as Clark stood before the now frozen Hulk.

"My God, he's completely encased. The temperature's he'd have to reach to form ice out here, let alone so quickly," Reed observed in wonderment as he approached the Hulk's frozen form. Suddenly, the mass of ice began to shake, before the Hulk exploded out of it. A large chunk of ice flew off and struck Clark, sending him rolling away. Before they could react, the Hulk reached out and grabbed Reed, before picking him up and swinging him at Ben, causing Reed to stretch and wrap around Ben. Then, pulling back, he swung Reed and Ben around and slammed them into the side of one of the army jeeps. The force of the blow knocking the jeep into the one next to it, before it flipped into the air and crashed down on a third jeep a few yards away.

Hulk let out a roar of triumph as he let go of Reed and stalked towards some more of the soldiers, who began to run away in fear. Suddenly, Clark appeared in front of him in a blur of motion and fired his eye rays at him, striking the Hulk in the chest. Hulk cried out in pain as he stumbled backwards. Clark shot forward and punched Hulk twice in the face, forcing him back even more. He followed this by kneeing Hulk in the chest, forcing the massive man to bend over with the force of the blow. Clark however, didn't have time to react when Hulk snapped his hands out and wrapped them around him. Lifting him off the ground, Hulk stared at Clark hatefully as he squeezed him, causing Clark to cry out in pain. Hulk cried out to, though he did it in anger, as he slammed Clark into the ground before tossing him into an Army jeep, sending both tumbling away with the force of his throw.

As Clark lay stunned in the wreckage, Hulk stalked towards him, ready to continue the fight. He was stopped however, when Betty suddenly ran in front of him, her hands help up, gesturing for him to stop. The loud, raspy voice of General Ross could be heard in the background as he yelled at her to get back.

"Bruce stop!! It's me! It's Betty!" she screamed, her eyes welling up with tears, "Don't you remember me?"

"…**BETTY**" the Hulk said slowly, as comprehension slowly crossed his face. Slowly, he kneeled down next to her, bring his face right up to hers "**HULK KNOW YOU,**"

"Yes, yes you know me," she said happily as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his head, "You have to stop fighting. You have to stop,"

"**THEY TRY TO HURT HULK!**" he said accusingly, pulling back and pointing his finger at the soldiers.

"Yes, but some of them are your friends! They were just trying to stop you from hurting people. They didn't want to see you get hurt!"

"**FRIENDS?**" he asked, looking over his shoulder to where Ben and Reed were picking themselves up.

"Yes Bruce, friends. Now you have to listen to me, because not everyone here is your friend,"

_Moments before,_

Betty ran up to the medic jeep and hastily explained the situation. The medic nodded and rushed off in the direction she had come in. Short of breath because of the run, she leaned against the medic's jeep, trying to catch her breath. As she rested, she happened to glance to her side, where she saw her father talking heatedly with a lieutenant. She could just barely make out what was being said.

"I don't care what you have to do, I want it alive!" he roared, before dropping to a normal level that Betty couldn't hear. Glancing to her side, she saw a large rock near where her father was talking. Narrowing her eyes in determination, she snuck over to the bolder, staying low so as to avoid detection. Luckily, her father and the lieutenant were too caught up in their conversation to notice her approach.

Leaning against the rock, out of the two soldier's view, she eavesdropped on there conversation.

"Understand me, Lieutenant. We've accidentally discovered the next step in genetic warfare. This is bigger than any project before. Bigger than Rebirth. Bigger than Weapon Plus. That thing is the next super soldier, and I'll be damned if the U.S Army doesn't have it," Ross explained.

"But sir. Even if we do capture him, Dr. Banner is still an American citizen. There's no way that we'll be able to perform experiments on him against his will," the lieutenant questioned.

"Don't worry about it, Lieutenant. As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Bruce Banner is dead and that things body is property of the U.S. Government."

Betty covered her mouth to stifle the gasp of horror that slipped out. They were going to experiment on him. Probably her and the others too. They were going to turn her Bruce into a weapon. Her eyes narrowed in anger. Not if she had anything to say about it.

Leaping to her feet, she rushed towards where the Hulk was fighting, just having thrown the strange, caped man fighting him into one of the jeeps. General Ross saw her sprint from her hiding place and quickly realized what she had heard and what she was doing. He frantically chased after her, yelling for her to stop and ordering soldiers to grab her. But she still managed to break through, and rushed up to the Hulk, throwing her arms up in front of him.

_Now_

"You see?" she said pleadingly, "They want to turn you into some kind of weapon. You have to run! You have to get out of here!"

"**HULK NO LEAVE BETTY!**" Hulk argued, shaking his head.

"Forget about me! Just go! JUST-" Betty was cut off when a rocket slammed into the Hulk's back, the shockwave knocking her over. Hulk roared in pain as he reared up, turning around to find the offending soldier. Spotting one with a still smoking weapon, Hulk stalked towards him, his expression promising pain. He was stopped though, when Clark suddenly ran up behind him and wrapped his arms around the Hulk's stomach. Before the Hulk could react, Clark shot into the air taking the Hulk with him.

As they sped through the air, flying higher and higher, the Hulk struggled against his captor, desperate to escape. Lifting his arm, he slammed his elbow into Clark's face, forcing him to let go. Hulk tumbled through the air as Clark recovered. Regaining his senses, Clark saw Hulk falling and dove after him. Slamming into him, Clark punched him in the face, stunning the Hulk before wrapping his arms around him again, then flying at top speed, straight down, slamming them both into the ground a half-mile from where Clark had took off.

As the dust settled, Clark rose to his feet shakily, rubbing his head to try and clear it. He didn't notice the Hulk looming up behind him, a large rock raised above his head. With a roar, he brought it down on Clark's head. Clark yelled in surprise and pain before falling to the ground. Woozily he rolled over, slowly opening his eyes. The only thing he could see was the hazy image of the Hulk standing over him. Before he could react, the Hulk slammed his fist into his face. And did it again. And again.

After a few seconds, the Hulk backed off, growling. Then reaching down, Hulk grabbed Clark by his suit and lifted him up, forcing him to look in his eyes.

"**NOW FLYING MAN UNDERSTAND!?! HULK STRONGEST THERE IS!!! NOW HULK KILL YOU, SO EVERYONE KNOW!!!**" he growled, before slamming Clark back into the ground and beating on him some more.

"_Stop!!!" _A voice called from the back of Hulk's mind, causing Hulk to stop his assault.

"**WHO THERE!?!**" Hulk demanded, looking around wildly.

"_Me. Bruce Banner_" the voice said, firmly.

"**BANNER,**" Hulk growled, "**WHAT YOU WANT?**"

"_I want you too stop this, you can't kill him!_"

"**OF COURSE HULK CAN!! HULK STRONGEST THERE IS!!**" Hulk bellowed.

"_That's not what I mean! What did Betty say?_"

"**BETTY SAY TO RUN. BETTY SAY GENERAL WANT TURN HULK INTO WEAPON.**"

"_Right, so we should leave. We have to get as far away as possible. It's what Betty wants,_"

"**FINE**" Hulk growled after a second, "**HULK DO WHAT PUNY BANNER SAY…FOR NOW,**" Hulk then turned away from where Clark lay and began running towards the desert, before crouching and taking a mighty leap, disappearing over the horizon.

_Some time later,_

Clark groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. His head swam as he slowly opened his eyes, only to close them with a hiss as the bright light assaulted his eyes. Screwing his eyes shut, he listened, able to make out the sounds of beeping electrical equipment along with the sound of someone walking past where he lay.

"Sir, he's waking up," a voice said from nearby, before Clark heard someone else approach. Slowly, he opened his eyes, he saw the general he had seen commanding the soldiers who were attacking the Hulk. Looking past him, he saw that he was in some sort of medical tent.

"You awake, boy?" he asked, sternly.

"I suppose I am," Clark replied weakly.

"Good," the general said as he backed away, "Then maybe you wouldn't mind telling me who the hell you are?"

"I'm sorry sir, but I actually do mind," Clark replied simply. The general glared at him in response.

"Funny, boy," he growled, "Now give me a name,"

"Stan Lee," Clark replied, "Happy?"

"Is it yours?" Ross asked.

"No,"

"Damnit! I let you heal in my medical ward and this is how you repay me!?!"

"I think I repaid you by fighting the Hulk and the others. If anything, General Ross, you owe me," Clark stated, his eyes narrowed.

"…How did you know my name?" Ross asked, slightly taken aback.

Clark indicated to his ears, "These do more than frame my face, General. They let me pick up on lots of conversations…like the one you had with your lieutenant about turning the Hulk into a military experiment."

Ross' eyes widened in shock, before narrowing in fury, "I had the next step in genetic warfare in my hands, and I lost him because of you! Lucky for me, you're pretty extraordinary yourself. So I think you're going to get me a little restitution."

"I think not, sir," Clark replied coldly.

"God damn you! Tell me what you are!" he bellowed, before reaching behind him and pulling out Clark's bodysuit, "What is this made out of!?! My scientists can't make heads or tails of it! They say it's like nothing they've ever seen before. What is it!?! What are you!?! Tell me!!!"

Suddenly, Clark disappeared from his bed and appeared right in front of the General, grabbing his wrist to make him let go of the suit.

"No," he said sternly, before taking the bodysuit from Ross. In another blur of motion, he reappeared in front of Ross and the soldiers fully dressed.

"What are you? Some kind of Superman?" Ross asked, rubbing his now bruised wrist.

"Whatever makes you happy," He said as he squinted his eyes and looked around, before smiling as he spotted what he was looking for and disappeared in another blur of motion.

He quickly reappeared in another tent, where a doctor was over looking Diana, examining her bracelet, trying to get it off.

"That won't work," Clark pointed out, making the scientist jump with fear. Shouldering his way past the scientist, he leaned over Diana and gently shook her.

"Hey Diana," he whispered, "Time to get up,"

Diana's eyes slowly fluttered open. Groaning she grabbed her head as she sat up, revealing that she was still wearing her armor. Looking over, she smiled when she saw Clark standing over her.

"Hello C-" Clark quickly covered her mouth to prevent her from saying his name. Looking around, she realized they were surrounded by strangers, especially as General Ross ran in with his escort.

"Now I want some answers! We couldn't figure out a damn thing about her armor. Hell, we couldn't even get off of her. And it repaired on its own. What is it!?!"

Diana merely looked at him with a confused expression, before turning back to Clark,

"Where is Thor?" she asked.

"He's in a tent just a little ways down," Clark replied, "Can you stand?" Diana nodded before she rose from the bed.

"Oh no you don't!" Ross said as he approached them, "You're not le-" Before he could finish, the two disappeared in blurs of motion, a gust of wind the only sign of their departure.

"GOD DAMNIT!!!" he shouted as he stamped his foot in anger.

In the next room, Thor heard the bellowing and slowly began to stir. Opening his eyes, he found Diana leaning over him, a smile on his face.

"Well, that's quite a lovely sight to awaken too," he smirked, causing Diana to blush.

"You alright, Thor?" Clark asked as he sat up.

"Aye, just a bit woozy," he said, rubbing his head as he got up, "Where are we?"

"In the sick bay of the military base, or at least what's functioning as it," a new voice came from behind them. Turning, they found Reed entering the tent, an unsure look on his face.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" he asked.

"No, not at all, Dr. Richards," Clark said with a smile.

"Please, call me Reed," he said, reaching out his hand, "I never got to say thank you for helping us,"

"No thanks are necessary, Reed. We're just here to help," Clark said as he grasped Reed's hand, "I take it you haven't met my friends yet,"

"No, I can't say I have," Reed replied with a smile.

"My name is Diana," Diana introduced herself with a nod.

"And I am Thor!" Thor bellowed, raising his hand above his head, before moving his fingers around as if looking for something. Bringing his hand down, he quickly looked at it before looking around the tent.

"As anyone seen my hammer?" he asked, looking under the cot he had slept in.

"It's in the desert where you left it," the gravelly voice of Ross said as he pushed his way into the tent, "My people haven't been able to move it since-"

He was interrupted as a look of realization crossed Thor's face, before he snapped his fingers and his hammer appeared in his hand in a flash of light. Ross stared incredulously as Thor absent mindedly studied his hammer, before he visibly pushed his anger down.

"So you're name's Kal, huh?" Ross said, eyeing Clark.

"That's what my friends call me. You might as well stick with Superman." Clark replied sternly.

"Look here you!" he barked, pointing his finger at Clark, "I'm tired of your attitude. Now I demand you give me answers or I'll-"

General Ross was stopped when he heard a dark chuckle from behind him. Whirling around, he found an African-American man in his late 40's. He wore a dark blue trench coat over a black body suit. His head was shaved bald and he wore an eye patch over his left eye. Flanking him were two younger men in black body suits, wielding automatic weapons. On each suit there was symbol of an eagle clutching a shield on the shoulders chest.

"Fury," Ross muttered coldly, his eyes narrowing.

"Good to see you too, Ross," Fury replied with a smirk, before turning to Clark.

"It's good to finally meet you Kal-El," he said pleasantly, before turning to Diana and Thor, "And it's good to see you two again. You three make a pretty good team, it would seem."

"Thank you, General Fury," Thor said with a beaming smile, as he walked up to Fury and held out his hand "It's an honor to see you again, my friend,"

"Honor's all mine," Fury said with a smile as he took Thor's hand.

"You know these people!?!" Ross roared, pointing his finger at Fury.

"Sure do, Ross," Fury replied, nonplussed.

"Why the hell are you here, Fury!?!" Ross demanded.

"Simple, this site is now officially under S.H.I.E.L.D. jurisdiction," Fury explained with a smile.

"WHAT!?!" Ross exploded, "This is American soil! You have no right!"

"I don't?" Fury asked with raised eyebrow, "You forget Ross, S.H.I.E.L.D answers to the UN, not the US. It's our job to monitor meta-human activities, and this is about as meta-human as it can get. So, from where I'm standing Ross, it would seem I have every right to take control here."

Fury then leaned in very close to Ross, "I suggest you and your boys pack up and ship out, before you get yourselves in trouble,"

Ross shook visible with anger as he stood glaring at Fury, before he turned around and stormed off.

"And Ross," Fury called after him, causing Ross to stop and turn to glare at him, "Don't take anything,"

Ross merely grunted before he stormed off again.

"Do you think that was wise, General?" Diana asked as she watched the general leave.

"Ross has always been a bit full of himself. He needs someone to deflate his ego every once in awhile," Fury explained, as he turned to face the others. "If you folks wouldn't mind, I'd like it if you stuck around so I could ask you some questions. Dr. Richard's if you don't mind gathering all the others caught in the incident,"

"There might be slight problem with that, General," Reed said hesitantly, "Not everyone involved in the incident is…still here,"

"Still here?" Fury asked.

"Yes, Ronnie Reymond and Captain Nathanial Adams, they've seem to have completely disappeared," Reed explained.

"What?" Thor asked in surprise, "That's impossible, they beat each other into submission and I saved them and then…" he trailed off, trying to remember.

"You blacked out, Thor. The soldier's found you alone, unconscious in the desert."

"Are there anymore missing, Dr. Richards?" Fury asked.

"Yes, general, but they're cases are a little bit more…complicated,"

_Somewhere in the desert, _

The winds howled as they swept across the rocky, arid ground. A lone figure trudged across the desert. His white shirt and pants were colored brown from the dirt of the surrounding wilderness. Dirty bandages hung loosely off his face, revealing the scarred visage of Victor von Doom.

Ahead, Doom could see the outskirts of small town. He smiled to himself as he increased his pace. The sooner he reached civilization, the sooner he could leave this hellhole for his beloved Latvaria.

Unbeknownst to Doom, however, was that he was being watched. Gregori Rasputin stood on a large outcropping of rock some distance away, watching Doom as he crossed the desert. A loud popping noise came from behind Rasputin as he was joined by Mordo.

"This one interests you, my lord?" he asked, watching Doom.

"Indeed he does," Rasputin replied with a smile, "Such power combined with such perseverance and intelligence. We may very well have a new Dark Lord on are hands," he turned to go, leaving Mordo alone, "Keep an eye on him, Baron. He may prove to be a very powerful ally in the future,"

"As you wish, my lord,"

_Meanwhile,_

A large fleet of Army transports rolled up to a check point manned by S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel. One held up his hand as the lead transport came to a stop in front of the gate leading out of the complex. The agent walked to up to the window as others swept the transport with scanners, looking for odd energy signatures.

"Heading out, General?" the lead agent asked as he saw General Ross sitting in the front passenger's seat.

"What does it look like to you?" Ross replied, condescendingly.

"I'll make sure to tell the Director you're leaving," he said, jotting a few notes down on the PDA he was carrying before looking back at the general, "You have anything to declare, General?"

"Actually, I do," Ross replied as he leaned down closer to the agent, "Nick Fury can kiss my ass," With that, he ordered the driver to continue forward, leaving the agent in a cloud of dust.

"You think they suspect anything, sir?" the driver asked, "Or that our passenger will talk?"

Ross took the time to turn around and look into the back section of the transport. The back contained a number of large, lead lockers along with a single occupant, Randal Raymond. The man sat on the only available bench, looking at one of the storage lockers, which unbeknownst to just about anyone else held the unconscious body of his son, Ronnie. The one next to it held the equally unconscious Captain Nathaniel Adams.

"The lining of the containers would have protected our cargo from being detected. As for Raymond, well he use to be a soldier himself. So if he wants what's best for both his son and his country, he'll keep his mouth shut."

Ross turned around to look out the window as the transport drove down the long, desert road, "I thought this whole operation would end up a complete wash out, but we managed to get our hands on two of the greatest weapons this world has ever seen. And there's still a third one out there, and there's no place on Earth that he can get hide from me. We'll catch him, and when he do…we'll see just what makes him tick."

A/N: Hey True Believers, sorry this chapter took so long, but as you can see it was a doozy, definitely the longest thing I've ever written. Sorry if it seems a little rushed at the end, but I really wanted to get this out quickly. This is basically the last chapter of this story, with the next one being the epilogue. After that, I'll see what you folks want to see next. Don't worry, the epilogue is short, so it won't take me nearly as long to get it out. Until then, please review! Later, True Believers!


	15. Preludes and Nocturnes

**Preludes and Nocturnes**

_To die, to sleep;_

_To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;_

_For in that sleep of death what dreams may come_

_When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,_

_Must give us pause_

-Shakespeare, _Hamlet_

_September 30__th__, 2012, the Sanctum Sanctorum_

Deep within the maze-like confines of the Sanctum Sanctorum, Dr. Stephen Strange sat in his meditation chamber, doing what he normally did with his free time, scour the Astral Plane on a vigilant look out for trouble and disturbances. Ever since his three young friends had made their second début, the Astral Plane was awash with psychic feedback and chatter over the event. And beneath it all, Stephen couldn't help but feel a powerful, foreboding undercurrent. He couldn't identify what it was, or even get a solid feel for it, but whatever it was, Stephen couldn't help but think that all it meant for him and everyone else was trouble.

"**Vigilant as always, Sorcerer Supreme**," a booming voice said within Stephen's mind.

Stephen's astral image whirled around in surprise, his eyes widened in shock. Behind him stood an immense figure, its form taking up all of his sight. The figure was roughly humanoid shaped, cloaked in a robe of utter blackness. The black of the robe was broken up by images of realistic and moving stars and planets, making looking at the being like looking at the night sky. Its only discernible feature was its navy blue face peering out of the robe's hood, half of its face still covered in blackness, with a supernova star replacing one of its eyes.

"My Lord Eternity!" Stephen exclaimed, before prostrating himself on the semisolid ground of the Astral Plane, "I did not feel you approach!"

"**You were deep within a meditative state, I did not wish to disturb you till now,**"

"Thank you, my lord. But surely you didn't come here for idle chit-chat," Stephen questioned.

"**Indeed I did not, Sorcerer Supreme,**" Eternity relented, "**Tell me, you know of my children? The Endless?**"

"Of course, my lord," Stephen replied, "What sort of Sorcerer Supreme would I be if I did not?"

"**Of course, of course. As such, you must know that one of my children has been missing for sometime, hidden and sealed by powerful magics**," Eternity continued

"You speak of Dream, my lord?" Stephen asked.

"**Indeed. He has been missing for a century…until now**" Eternity replied

"You found him, my lord?"

"**Yes, it appears he was summoned and then sealed here on Earth,**"

"Here?"

"**Yes, somewhere in Britain to be specific,**"

"That's incredible. How did you find him?"

** "It seems his keepers have become lax in recent years, allowing me to finally sense him. Now Sorcerer, you know I can not directly interfere with the universe as a whole. I have too many responsibilities. So I'm entrusting you to save my son. Can you do that?"**

"Of course, my lord. You can count on me," Stephen replied, standing straighter.

** "That is good to hear, Sorcerer. Dream is being held at the estate of one Alexander Burgess. You have your orders, now go to work,"** Eternity said with a serious tone, before disappearing before Stephen's eyes.

Nodding to himself, Stephen closed his eyes and concentrated, drawing his spirit back to his body. Opening his eyes and finding himself in his meditation chamber, Stephen quickly rose to his feet, grabbing his cloak as he headed to the door.

"Wong!" he cried as he flung the door open, wrapping his cloak around his neck.

"Yes, master?" Wong asked breathlessly as he hurried around a corner.

"Which of the Sentinels are currently available?" he asked.

"Uh, Lady Clea, Sargon, Ibis, Dr. Fate and yourself of course," Wong replied.

"Gather them, tell them to meet me in the main foyer. Then contact Albus and tell him to meet us at Stonehenge and tell him it's important. Then prepare yourself, you're coming with us." Strange ordered.

"I-I am?" Wong replied, startled.

"Yes, we're going to need all the help we can get on this," Strange explained.

"Of course, master," Wong replied, bowing before hurrying off.

"Now to find-AH!" Strange began to say, before he turned around and found himself face to face with the Phantom Stranger.

"Looking for me, Doctor?" he asked, nonchalantly.

"Don't do that! Don't you know I hate it?" Stephen exclaimed as he recomposed himself.

"Yes," the Stranger replied simply.

"Well seeing as you're here, I'm sure that means you understand what is happening?"

"Don't I always?"

"Then I don't need to bother asking you for help?" Strange asked as he began to walk away.

"No, though I would ask something of you," Stranger stated, simply.

"And what would that be?" Strange asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked back at the Stranger.

"Simple," the Stranger said with a shrug, "I need some vacation time,"

"Vacation?" Strange asked, turning completely around, "Since when do you take vacations?"

"My reasons are my own,"

"Fine," Stephen said with a sigh, "I'm sure we can hold down the fort while you're gone. Now are you coming?"

"Right behind you," Stranger replied as he followed Dr. Strange deeper into the Sanctorum.

_ Later, outside the residence of Alexander Burgess _

A large, stone home sat upon a rolling green hill, with the sun dipping in the horizon behind it, casting long shadows across the hills and lighting the sky with purples and reds. Suddenly, a large popping sound broke the silence as several figures appeared on a hill not far off.

"This is the place," the Stranger stated, looking at the house in the distance.

"How are you so sure?" Sargon asked.

The Stranger merely turned and looked at the young wizard with a raised eyebrow in response.

"Right," he replied, looking back at the house, "Sorry,"

"So what is your plan, Stephen?" Dr. Fate asked.

"Simple, we go in and demand they release Dream," Dr. Strange replied simply, as he began to walk towards the large house.

"And if they don't release him?" Clea asked.

"Then we do it ourselves, whether they like it or not,"

"Do you think that's wise?" Albus questioned.

"No, my friend. I actually feel rather rash. But Eternity made it clear that he wanted Dream released as soon as possible. And I'm sure Dream would appreciate every moment less it takes for us to release him," Dr. Strange explained as they reached the door.

"Very well," Albus said with a resigned tone as he drew his wand.

Reaching out, Stephen knocked on the door. Their was the sound of people moving behind the door before a small peephole appeared in the once solid wooden door.

"Who's there? How did you get past the wards?" a voice asked.

"Heh, Wards," the Phantom Stranger whispered to himself near the back of the group, "Like those so called wards could keep us out, even if I didn't bring them down when we got here."

"I am Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme of Earth and these are members of the Sentinels of Magic. We know you are holding the entity known as Dream here and we've come to release him by order of Eternity itself. You can cooperate or not, it's up to you," Stephen explained to the doorkeeper.

"Oh dear, the Sorcerer Supreme!" the man on the other side of the door exclaimed, "Of course we'll cooperate, just let me open the door here and _Avada Kadava!_"

Throwing open the door, the man, revealed to be dressed in a dark robe with the hood up, pointed a wand at Stephen as a bolt of green light shot out. But Dr. Strange's reflexes were quicker, and he managed to hold his hand up in front of him, forming a barrier of magical energy that reflected the attack harmlessly away. Before the guard could react, Dr. Strange stretched his other hand out in front of him, causing a bolt of clear energy to shoot out and send the guard flying back.

Rushing through the now open door, Dr. Strange and his companions found themselves in a large foyer, much larger than the house seemed capable of containing, with doors and hallways leading in all directions along with a grand stair case leading to the second floor. A few tables sat along the walls, while paintings hung here and there. The guard groaned from his position on the floor, before he rolled over and fell completely into unconsciousness.

"All right," Dr. Strange turned around to address the group, "Everyone split up and search the house. Once you find where they're keeping Dream, contact the others. If you can find a way to release him yourself, do so."

"Uh, Doctor?" Ibis asked, looking past Stephen.

"Yes, Ibis?"

"Your plan is great and all, but I don't think they want to cooperate," Ibis stated, gesturing to something behind Stephen. Turning around, Stephen found dozens of robed men and women rushing into the foyer from the various entrances, wands drawn.

"Move!" Dr. Strange shouted as he threw his hands up, creating a magic shield as he was barraged with magic spells. The others took the opportunity to duck behind walls and tables for cover, regrouping for attacks of their own. All except the Phantom Stranger.

Rushing forward up the stairs, spells seem to bounce off him or flow around him. Running up to one of the cultists, he grabbed his wand arm and twisted it, causing the man to drop the wand. As the man gasped in pain, the Stranger kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying back and crashing into the three cultists behind him, sending them tumbling to the ground. Whirling around, he held up his hand towards the group behind him, firing a bolt of white light at them, which exploded with concussive force, sending multiple cultists flying through the air and crashing to the ground.

Behind the Stranger, a cultist pointed his wand at him and attempted to catch the Stranger off guard. But before he could unleash a spell, Ibis flew up from the ground floor and landed on the banister before casting a disarming spell and knocking the cultist's wand out of his hand. Then, twirling his staff, he pointed it at the cultist, firing a bolt of force that knocked the cultist through the wall behind him, sending debris flying. Turning to another part of the balcony, he made a sweeping motion with his staff, knocking the cultists into the air and scattering them across the ground.

A group of cultists came up behind him to attack. Ibis spun around and began to spin his staff in his hand before him. As it spun faster and faster, a gust of wind picked up, quickly growing strong enough to stop the cultists in their tracks. Before the cultists could do anything to stop it, the winds increased even more, literally blowing them off their feet, sending them flying through the air and crashing through the wall at the end of the balcony they were on.

As Ibis' attention was diverted, a female cultist that the Stranger had knocked down, got back to her feet and drew a knife from her robes before rushing him from behind. Turning around, Ibis lashed out with his staff, grabbing her hand with its crook- like end, before twisting it and forcing her to drop her knife. Then, he struck her in the stomach with the other end of his staff, before tripping her up with the crook end. After she fell to the ground, he brought his staff down hard on her stomach, knocking her unconscious.

At the same time, Sargon placed his hand on the table he was using for cover, causing both the jewel in his chest and hand to glow red, before the table was surrounded in an aura of the same color. The table suddenly sprung to life, sprinting on its newly animated legs towards a group of cultists. Caught off guard by the surprising sight, the cultists were unprepared when the table flung itself at them, smashing into them with its broad side and sending many scattering. As the cultist tried to recover, the table began to kick its legs about like a wild bronco, sending a number of cultists flying and knocking them out.

As the table went on the offensive, Sargon turned his attention to other cultists in the foyer. Turning towards one, he lifted his arm, and fired a bolt of red energy, striking a cultist in the chest, causing his robes to glow red. Suddenly, they came alive and began constricting around his form, wrapping around his legs so that he fell to the floor, before wrapping themselves around his neck until he passed out. Sargon quickly followed this by shooting another bolt at a rug near a group of cultists. The rug sprung to life, quickly wrapping itself around one of the cultist's feet and tripping him. It then picked up the helpless wizard and began to swing him around, knocking the other cultist around it flying.

As Sargon was admiring his handiwork, a group of cultists attacked him with a barrage of spells, forcing the wizard to take cover. Putting his fingers to his mouth, Sargon whistled sharply. In response the table he had animated rushed over. Slapping a hand to the table, it lost its red glow and became inert again. Flipping it, Sargon quickly rolled behind it for cover. As the cultist bombarded the table, slowly blowing it apart, Sargon whispered a few words, before the table lit on fire. Then with a gesture, he sent the table hurtling through the air at high speeds before exploding in a large ball of fire when it smashed into the wall behind the dodging cultists, sending them flying.

Rushing at a group of cultists, Wong struck one with a flying kick, sending the man flying through the air. Wong rebounded off the kick, flipping through the air before knocking two more cultists out with a split kick. Landing in a crouched position, he turned on his heel before kicking another cultist in the chin, knocking him away. Still spinning, he swept another cultist's legs, knocking him on his back before striking him hard in the gut.

Rising back up, he grabbed the wrist of a cultist who was pointing a wand at him. He twisted the man's wrist violently, causing him to let go of his wand, which went flipping into the air. Wong quickly kicked the cultist away before spinning around and catching the wand as it fell. Turning quickly, he hurled the wand at another cultist, striking the man hard on the nose. As he reeled back, Wong leaped towards him before delivering a powerful kick to his jaw, sending him flying and knocking him out.

Meanwhile, Albus had his hands full, dueling multiple opponents at once with his back to the wall. The half a dozen cultists continually shot curses and hexes at him, but the aged wizard managed to deflect them all, remaining untouchable. Then, finding an opening; Albus made a large sweeping motion with his arm, causing each and every one of the cultists' wands to fly out of their hands and go sailing across the room. Before the cultists could react, Albus made a second sweeping motion, causing an arc of light green energy to spring from his wand and shoot out at the cultists, knocking them through the air.

Suddenly, the door right next to opened, revealing a cultist behind it with more reinforcements in tow. The cultist stared at Albus in surprise, but before the wizard could react, Albus pointed his wand at the door, causing to slam shut with an audible smack. Then, standing in front of it, Albus gestured towards the door again, sending it flying off its hinges into the other room, smashing into the group standing behind it. The force of the blow scattered them across the room and knocked a majority of them out. Some however, began to stir and regain they're footing. Looking up, Albus saw that there was a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"_Diffindo!_" he shouted as he pointed his wand at the chandelier. As he did, the chain holding the chandelier suddenly broke and the chandelier fell upon the cultists below with a thunderous crash, sending glass flying everywhere. When the dust settled, Albus was the last man standing. Giving a nod of satisfaction, he turned and exited the room to rejoin the battle in the foyer.

Dr. Fate floated up above the floor, deflecting spells left and right. Then, he held his arms out with his fingers outstretched. Suddenly, beams of yellow energy shot out from his fingers, each hitting a cultist in the chest, knocking them back through the air, and some through walls.

Turning to face another group, he held up his hands in front of him. A circle with an Ankh design appeared in front of him. Suddenly, the design appeared below the cultists, set into the floor. A second later, gravity reversed for the cultists, causing them to go flying into the air and crash into the ceiling. Fate then disappeared in a flash shaped like an ankh, before appearing inside the circle on the ground. The only effect this seemed to have on him though was causing the ends of his cloak to point up towards the ceiling.

Holding his arms out, he made a few, quick gestures with them, causing the symbol beneath his feet to disappear, sending the cultist tumbling down. Right before they hit the ground, he made another motion, catching them all in midair. Then, with a swishing motion of his arms, he sent them flying through the air, crashing into the walls, furniture and even other cultists.

Clea threw up a large wall of magical energy to protect herself, causing the cultists magical blast to ricochet off, striking the walls and even some of the other cultists. With a few more words and hand movements, she slammed her palms against the wall of force, sending it flying across the ground, and striking the cultists, before slamming them into and through a wall.

Turning to another group of cultists, she made a swirling motion with her hands before slamming them to the ground. At the same time, the floor beneath the cultists' feet suddenly changed to water. The cultists could do nothing but shout in surprise before dropping into the water. Standing up, Clea threw her hands above her head, causing the water to blast upwards as a geyser, slamming the cultists into the ceiling. As they began to fall, Clea made a swirling motion with her hand, causing the water to form into a whirlpool suspended in midair. The cultists were spun about helplessly by the magic water, as the force of the whirlpool sucked other cultists standing near by.

After a few seconds of spinning, Clea brought her hands to a stop, causing the water to stop spinning as well, leaving the cultists floating helplessly inside. Then, she quickly clapped her hands together, forcing the water to rapidly condense into a small ball, crushing the cultists together. Bringing her clasped hands up to her mouth, she breathed into them, causing the ball of water to freeze solid. In one quick motion, Clea brought her hands quickly down while spreading them apart, as if she were smashing something, causing the ball of ice to slam into the ground with explosive force, sending cultists and chunks of ice flying, smashing into walls and other cultists. As a thin, crystal white fog settled over the area, Clea adjusted her hair, smiling at her handiwork.

Dr. Strange floated up near the room's ceiling, a bubble shield surrounding him and protecting him from harm. Turning his attention to one cultist, he threw his hand in his direction, causing the man to shoot through the air and a nearby wall. Turning to another, he made a sweeping motion, causing the cultist legs to shoot out from him before his face slammed hard into the floor below him. Focusing on another, standing on the second floor balcony, he pointed down with his right hand, causing the floor beneath the cultist to collapse, sending him falling to the ground below.

Turning to his left, he saw yet another group of cultists rushing out to face them. Narrowing his eyes, Dr. Strange floated up towards the ceiling, before placing his hands against it. Suddenly, his eyes and hands began to glow red as he chanted indecipherable words. As he did, arcane runes, written in red energy began to expand from his hands, until they covered the entire ceiling. At that point, Dr. Strange brought his hands down quickly, which caused tendrils of red energy to spring from the ceiling. The tendrils branched off multiple times, until they were like large rivers with dozens of tributaries. Each of the smaller tendrils grabbed a cultist, before squeezing them or slamming them against something until they fell unconscious. Then, as one, they receded back into the ceiling as Stephen ended the spell, floating down to the floor amongst the dozens of defeated cultists.

"Looks like we're done here" the Phantom Stranger commented as the group reassembled in the center of the hall.

"I sure hope so," Sargon commented, massaging his shoulder.

"Now all we have to do is find where they're keeping him," Wong stated.

"But how are we to do that?" Clea asked, "This house is huge, it might even rival the Sanctum in size,"

"I have a solution," the Phantom Stranger said, before reaching out his hands, "But I will require the two doctors' assistance. Specifically, I require the powers of the Helmet of Fate and the Eye of Agamotto. Take my hands."

Moving up to the Stranger, Dr. Strange and Dr. Fate took his hands; before all three closed they're eyes in concentration. Suddenly, their hand began to glow, before Stranger opened his now brightly glowing eyes and stared off into nothingness.

"I've found him," he muttered before marching off in a seemingly random direction, forcing the others to follow him. He walked with complete certainty through the maze-like hallways, leading them down multiple flights of stairs, until it look as though they were in more of a dungeon than a mansion. Eventually they came to an ordinary wooden door, with a small, closable window in it.

"He's in there," the Stranger said, indicating to the door.

"Alright," Dr. Strange said before walking up to the door, "I'll go in first. Everyone be ready."

Putting his hand against the door, Dr. Strange whispered a few quick words before quickly pushing the door in and rushing inside, everyone else hot on his heels.

Inside, the room was large and mostly bare, with rough hewn stone walls and floors. In the center of the room, a large glass globe sat on a pedestal, its interior obscured by billowing, white smoke.

Between the door and the globe sat an old man in a wheel chair. He was dressed in simple clothes, with a blanket draped across his legs. His head was bald and his face had been ravaged by time and disease.

"Alexander Burgess, I presume?" Dr. Strange asked.

"Indeed and you must be Dr. Strange, the new Sorcerer Supreme," he said in a wheezing voice.

"That I am, and I suppose you know what we're here for then?" Dr. Strange questioned.

"Yes I do, and I'm sorry but I can't let you have it!" he said with surprising energy, before whipping out his wand and pointing it at Dr. Strange.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Albus shouted, disarming Alexander with a gesture. Alexander watched with surprise as his wand clattered to the floor, out of reach. Turning back to the group, his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Albus.

"Albus," he said, familiarly.

"Alexander," Albus greeted him in return.

"You too know each other?" Ibis asked.

"Old classmates I'm afraid. Always was a bad apple."

"Like you're one to talk, Dumbledore," Alexander growled.

"I sense some bad blood between you two," Wong commented.

"You have no idea," Albus commented before turning back to Alexander, "I'm not the one with a member of the Endless in my basement, Alexander"

"My father's work," he said with a hint of pride, "He was aiming for Death, got Dream instead. Kept him around to see what we could get. Stubborn bastard hasn't said anything since we captured him. I suppose you're here to take him from me too?"

"We're not here to take him," Dr. Strange explained, "We're here to release him."

"Release him?" Alexander said in a frightened tone, "You can't!"

"We can," Dr. Strange stated, as he pointed his hand at the globe, "and we will,"

A beam of magical energy erupted from his hand, striking the dome and causing it to crack. Soon, all of them joined in, blasting the dome with magic.

"How are you doing this!?!" Alexander demanded as he watched helplessly.

"Your father didn't come up with this himself. It's based of the same prison that holds the Specter," the Phantom Stranger explained. "I created it and I know how to take it apart."

Holding up his hand, he shot a beam of pure white energy at the heavily damaged dome, causing it to explode violently. Tiny glass shards shot everywhere before collecting on the ground like grains of sand. The mist that was previously held inside the dome spilled out, covering the room and obscuring sight.

Alexander looked around, panicking. Hearing a noise behind him, he turned around to try and find out what it was. Suddenly, he felt something looming over him. Turning back around, he found a tall, gaunt man with chalk white skin and wild jet black hair standing before him. He was dressed in a long black robe, and his eyes were black, with twinkling lights, almost like stars in them.

"_**Hello**_" he whispered.

"You!" Alexander cried.

"_**Me**_" the man replied.

"S-Stay away!!" he shouted, desperately trying to roll away, but his wheel chair refused to move.

"_**You wanted a gift from me. I give you this**_," he said, reaching out his hand to Alexander's forehead, "_**Eternal Waking!**_"

The only thing that the others could hear was__Alexander's cries of horror before silence. The fog suddenly dissipated, revealing Dream standing over Alexander's prone form.

"Lord Dream?" Dr. Strange asked, hesitantly.

Dream turned his head slightly to look at Stephen.

"_**Who are you?**_" he asked, simply.

"Dr. Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme," Stephen explained.

Dream cocked an eyebrow, "_**Much time has past since I was sealed away**_. _**Who sent you?**_"

"Eternity, your father,"

"_**Father? You took a good deal of time finding me**_"

"I'm sorry. There wer-"

"_**I care not**_" Dream interrupted before walking up to Dr. Strange and holding up a single finger, "_**I own you one favor, Sorcerer. Use it wisely**_"

Stepping back, he closed his eyes before he disappeared in a cloud of sand.

"Not even a thank you?" Sargon commented, crossing his arms.

"Dream has never been known as the most pleasant of individuals" Albus stated.

"What did Dream do to him?" Clea asked, standing over Alexander's sleeping form.

"You know when it feels like you woke up from a nightmare, but you're really still dreaming?" the Phantom Stranger explained, "It's kind of like that, only a hundred times worse."

"Wow," Ibis said before turning to Dr. Strange, "Do you think that's the last time we'll see Dream?"

"No," Dr. Strange said, a solemn look on his face, "I think this is only the beginning."

The sun had set outside the small bar in England, and the patrons were slowly departing. The four teenagers were still gathered around the old storyteller, enraptured by his tales. As he finished his latest one, he stretched and cracked his back, before putting out his cigarette.

"All right you kids, it's about time for you to be going," he said with a smile, causing the group to groan like children half their age.

"Hey, don't go getting all upset. Tell you what, next time you lot are down here, I'll tell you more stories. How's that?"

"Sounds great!" one of the girls said.

"Oh crap, we're going to be late!" one of the guys said before they all got up and rushed out the door, waving their goodbyes.

The old man chuckled as he watched them go, before he got up and put on his coat. Making his way to the door, he waved the bar tender good night before stepping out into the cold. Looking up he smiled at the swinging sign, displaying the bar and inn's name; "Hog's Head." Looking into the distance, he saw the looming castle of Hogwarts in front of him, where the group of kids he had talked to was no doubt headed.

"Having fun?" a female voice asked. Turning, the old man found a young woman standing next to him. She had long dark hair and pale skin. She wore a slim, black, winter jacket and snow pants, which showed off her attractive frame. She had wore a large black winter hat on her head and an ankh around her neck. She also had the eye of Horus tattooed below her right eye.

"Hello Death," he said with a grin, before his form shifted. Seconds later, he was a young man with pale skin and wild, pure white hair. He wore a white winter coat and white pants, along with a white scarf. His eyes were black with twinkles of light in them, almost like stars.

"Hello Daniel," Death replied cheerfully, "Now what have you been up too?"

"_Telling stories. I am the Lord of Dreams after all. _" he replied with a smirk.

"Morpheous would be proud of you. I know your parents are," she said with a smile.

"_Thanks,_" he said, before looking at her curiously, "_Where's that boy toy of yours?_"

"He's not my boy toy," she laughed, punching him in the arm, "Now come on, old man. We got places to be."

"_I'm coming_" Daniel replied, before taking one last look at Hogwarts, "_Dream a little dream for me_"

"Come on!" Death cried, having begun walking away. Daniel smiled before running after her. Catching up, he walked alongside her, before both of them disappeared in a gust of snow.

A/N: At that brings this part of the story to a close. Sorry this took longer than expected but I had a lot of school work to do and was struck down by mild illness. But still, the first part is done. Hurray! "But what's next" you might ask. Well, I'm going to let you, the faithful readers decide! Below are quick explanations to the next stories I have planned. Either vote in a review or in a poll I plan on setting up. As a side note, I plan on doing shorter chapters from now on, to cut down on the time between chapters. I just hate leaving you guys waiting! So, without further ado, here are your choices!

Metropolis: the city of Metropolis has suffered greatly as of late, with both high crime rates and a terrible disaster. But it has also managed to gain three new protectors. Follow the adventures of Superman, Wonder Woman and Thor as they battle both the rising force of a new evil as well as some out of the ancient past. They won't be going it alone however. Joining them is an ensemble of new heroes including the debut of everyone's favorite wall crawler, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!

Batman: First Steps (title pending): Gotham City is a cesspool of corruption and crime. Something that Bruce Wayne is all too familiar with. Follow him as he under goes his training to become the legendary Dark Knight as well as his first forays as the Caped Crusader along with the introduction of a whole new cast of heroes.

Flash: On Your Mark!: After returning home from his accident in Metropolis, Barry Allen along with his nephew, Wally West, begin to experience changes. Changes that will set them on they're path to becoming the fastest men alive!

Aquaman: the Plunge: Arthur Curry always new he was different. Exactly how different, he never could have imagined! Follow the future Aquaman as he travels to understand who he is and have some outrageous adventures along the way!

Plasticman: A Bit of a Stretch: After washing up on a river bank and being cared for by a group of monks, Eddie "Eel" O'Brian decides to turn over a new leaf. Will he able to stick to his new found heroic ways all while controlling his new powers? Read and find out

Blue Beetle: Launch: Jamie Reyes used to be a normal kid until a fateful trip to Kord Industries changes his life forever. Will he be able to handle the responsibilities of his new found powers, while keeping his family safe?

Fantastic Adventures: Follow the adventures of the newly formed Fantastic Four as they learn to be a team and discover the secrets of our world and beyond. Also includes the origin of a new cast of hero's, such as Giant Man and the Wasp!

Hulk: Fugitive: Bruce Banner is on the run from the military, while trying to control his new powers. But he'll find out soon enough that the military isn't the only things he'll need to worry about.

Captain America: Out of the Cold: Captain America is thawed out in modern times. Watch as he adapts to a changed world while striving to up hold the American Dream.

Dr. Strange: Out of the Shadows: After the events of the Big Bang of Metropolis, Dr. Strange decides its time for the magical community to come out of hiding. But will he be able to handle the opposition from both Muggles and the magic community alike?

X-Men: First Class: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters has just opened, and they already have their hands full, dealing with not only the new students and their growing powers, but from humans and mutants alike who would see them wiped off the map.

Ghost Rider: Ignition: Johnny Blaze's life is changed forever when his father is brutally murdered. Given the chance for revenge from a stranger, Johnny gains the power of the Ghost Rider, the Spirit of Vengeance. But will he be able to control it?

Weapon Plus: Project Weapon Plus has been put back into commission, striving to prepare the American Government to face a changing world. Follow the adventures of its two newest weapons, Captain Atom and Firestorm!

M.I.B. Files: Learn about the ways of the world's most secretive agency, through the eyes of its newest member. It's up to Agent J, the best of the best, to protect us from the scum of the universe…but that's only if he survives basic training

Raven's Lost Years: First: Follow the events of Raven's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She'll make new friends, new enemies, and learn some devastating secrets.

Harry Potter and the Guardian's Light: Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts and his first steps into the magical world are far different then anyone could have expected!

B.P.R.D Lost Files: Read about the secret missions and adventures of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense's Alpha Squad. Runs parallel to the Raven's Lost Years Series.

Requiem for a Dream: After nearly a century of imprisonment, Dream of the Endless has been released. Now he must strive to reclaim his powers and kingdom while adapting to a universe that has moved on without him.

Make sure to cast your vote, and as a side note, all the stories, unless otherwise noted, run parallel to each other and will crossover at certain points, ultimately leading to the next part of the over all story. Righting this story has been really fun and I'm glad you all enjoyed it too. Thanks for reading, and until next time, Later True Believers!


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